It may seem that 2009 should be the best year of Hsieh Teh-ching's life; the performance artist has two exhibitions in New York - one at the renowned Museum of Modern Arts (MOMA) and the other at the Guggenheim Museum - and a book, Out of Now, dedicated to his art and thoughts has been published. Hsieh, however, is quick to dispel such a notion.
'If fame could make me excited and [make] every day [feel] like Lunar New Year, I wouldn't have chosen the way I chose,' says Hsieh.
Born in Taiwan, Hsieh felt the artistic urge early. He studied painting as a child and was one of the island's first performance artists. Stifled by the orthodox nature of Taiwan's art circles, in 1974 he jumped ship (an oil tanker, to be precise) in the United States and became an illegal immigrant. (He gained legal status in 1988, through an amnesty.)
From the isolation and insecurity of his new life, working in Chinese restaurants and construction, came inspiration and energy - and his signature works, known as the 'one-year performances'.
There are five in all, performed between 1978 and 1986. The first, in which he shaved his head, stencilled his name onto a uniform and locked himself away in a cage for a year (Cage Piece; 1978/79) reflected his sense of isolation. This was followed by punching a time clock every hour, 24 hours a day, for a year (Time Clock Piece; 80/81); staying outdoors for a year (Outdoor Piece; 81/82) and tying himself to a female artist with an eight-foot rope, without the two of them having physical contact, for a year (Rope Piece; 83/84).
Rope Piece grabbed the public's attention, mainly because of the fame of the female participant, Linda Montano. Afterwards he was interviewed by major television stations and profiled by Life magazine. This inspired the self-effacing No Art Piece (85/86), in which Hsieh kept away from all aspects of art.
