Performance art is fluid: While other branches of the performing arts define themselves—musicians create music, actors act, and so on—performance artists seek to create art from unexpected action.

Extreme performance art: ... To finish with something lighter, and in fact, delightful, sample this clip from Pilobolus Dance Theater’s SHADOWLAND, described as, ...

Part performance art piece, part music video shoot, Jay-Z performed his song “Picasso Baby” for six straight hours Wednesday at Pace gallery in New York City.

But contemporary performance art really traces its origins to the 1960s, when movements like Fluxus, which sought to blend art and life, began to change mainstream thinking about what constitutes art.

Live performance art is more relevant today than ever before. YouTube, Twitter and Facebook do not replace face-to-face experiences as much as augment and extend them to vastly larger audiences.

Anything can happen at a performance-art festival like Experimental Action. For instance, you might stumble upon someone allowing slowly thawing frozen breast milk to gently rain down on her as an ...