Starting from scratch: Aaron Moulton talks to Carson Chan

Express Yourself

Amidst today’s constant tick of openings, galleries and museums often employ performances to lend exhibitions a sense of temporal distinction. It’s not an opening like any other: it’s an event; you had to be there. At best in these situations, performance is a testament to the fact that art is still best experienced physically, in person. At worst, they relegate performance to the status of side-show – fleeting amusement that invariably gives way to the main attraction. Performance artist Christian Falsnaes (*1980) knows this conundrum well. Born in Copenhagen and trained in Vienna, Falsnaes wins his audience by actively dismantling the performer/spectator binary with group chanting, mock demonstrations, and fist pumping sing-alongs. In this interview, Falsnaes ruminations on the techniques, politics and ethics of breaking down the fourth wall.