Fluxus

Fluxus was an avant-garde artistic movement led by a small, loosely organized group of artists, composers, poets, and others that flourished during the 1960s and 1970s. Founded in the early 1960s by Lithuanian American artist George Maciunas, Fluxus was a unique approach to art that was defined by the revolutionary ideas and experimental creativity of its proponents. In short, Fluxus artists rejected traditional perspectives on art and instead focused on creating works that were accessible to the masses. Moreover, Fluxus artists sought to eliminate the boundaries between art and life and integrate the two with the aim of creating a new reality. Fluxus works took many different forms, ranging from sculpture to music to performance pieces. In addition to Maciunas, some of the major Fluxus figures included artists Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik, Alison Knowles, Joseph Beuys, and Dick Higgins. Ultimately, the Fluxus group ended with Maciunas's death in 1978.

Brief History

The roots of Fluxus were formed in the late 1950s, as a number of young artists grew increasingly disillusioned with the traditional art world's chronic elitism. Inspired by Futurism and Dadaism, these artists embraced a different, more open way of thinking about art. As the movement began to coalesce, French painter and sculptor Marcel Duchamp and American composer John Cage, a pair of artists who preferred to incorporate the use of everyday objects and the element of chance in their works, laid the groundwork for the attitudes and practices that were to become the foundation of Fluxus.

The birth of Fluxus first took place in 1959 at the New School in New York. At that time, several students taking classes taught by John Cage at the school began working together as the New York Audio Visual Group, which sought to provide venues for artists looking to stage various performance art pieces and other experimental art installations. Among the students involved in this effort was Maciunas, who quickly took charge of organizing the emerging Fluxus movement. In addition to giving the movement its name, Maciunas put together the first Fluxus event, called Bread & AG, at his AG Gallery in 1961. Under Maciunas's direction, Fluxus gradually developed in the years that followed. One of his greatest contributions to the movement's development was the publication of a Fluxus manifesto in 1963. In the manifesto, which was itself a work of art constructed around several dictionary definitions of the word flux, Maciunas outlined the movement's purpose and called on artists to take a stand against the intellectual commercialism of the traditional art world. Although Maciunas had a very stringent vision for what Fluxus was to be and even went so far as to expel several artists who chose to deviate from that vision, there was actually little agreement among its adherents as to exactly what Fluxus meant. In fact, such differing views on the movement's meaning were a fundamental element of Fluxus's underlying philosophy. In any event, Maciunas remained the primary leader of Fluxus until his death in 1978. After his passing, Fluxus essentially ceased to exist.

Overview

The defining feature of Fluxus was the fact that it had no concrete definition. Rather than being a typical movement within the normal realms of art, Fluxus was a response to and a rebellion against the customary attitudes of the traditional art world. In fact, Maciunas and his fellow artists viewed Fluxus as being "anti-art" in the sense that it was opposed to the typical exclusionary nature of high art. Whereas typical high art was generally considered to be the domain of the cultural elite and was judged and valued only by critics and museums, Fluxus was meant to be accessible to all people regardless of their professional qualifications, social status, or educational background. In his manifesto, Maciunas specifically charged the Fluxus group with the task of purging the world of high art's "bourgeoisie sickness" and bringing art to the masses. Accordingly, one of Fluxus's core goals was to mock high art through humor. Although this meant that Fluxus performances were often irreverent and playful, the impact they had on the art world was quite serious. In the end, Fluxus did much to change the way people thought about art by encouraging them to question whether critics and museums were the only entities with the authority to define what art was and who could create it.

Another key part of Fluxus performances was the element of chance. Many Fluxus artists embraced the idea of starting a piece without having a clear idea of where it should end. In other words, the process of creation was seen as being more important than the final product. One of the most notable examples of the role chance played in Fluxus performances could be seen in Yoko Ono's 1964 work Cut Piece. In this unique artistic performance, Ono sat on stage with a pair of scissors at her side and invited each member of the audience to come up and cut off a piece of her clothing. During the performance, she maintained a still and expressionless demeanor as each person approached her and snipped off whatever part of her clothing they wanted. Ultimately, the performance ended only when the audience chose to stop cutting or when there was nothing left to remove. As such, the outcome was entirely dependent on chance.

Fluxus was also strongly inspired by Zen Buddhism and the belief that no moment in life is to be more important than any other moment. According to the Fluxus philosophy, artistic experiences should not be seen as somehow greater than the experiences of everyday life. Rather, the experiences of everyday life should be the centerpiece of artistic endeavors. This philosophy led to Fluxus's goal of bridging the gap between art and life and melding the two into a single realm of expression.

When Maciunas died in 1978, Fluxus essentially died with him. Upon his death, Maciunas was memorialized with a so-called "Fluxfuneral," at which several Fluxus artists staged performances. Afterward, mourners participated in a "Fluxfeast and Wake," featuring a menu made up exclusively of black, white, and purple foods. Maciunas's send-off was the last significant Fluxus event. While modern examples of Fluxus art, such as the works of street artist Banksy, are still seen occasionally, the movement itself has remained largely dormant.

Bibliography

"Fluxus." The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/movement-fluxus.htm. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

“Fluxus.” The Museum of Modern Art, www.moma.org/collection/terms/fluxus. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

"Fluxus." Tate, www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/f/fluxus. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

Fricke, Stefan, and Sarah Maske. Fluxus at 50. Kerber, 2013.

Higgins, Hannah. Fluxus Experience. University of California Press, 2002.

Kedmey, Karen. "What Is Fluxus?" Artsy, 14 Jan. 2017, www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-fluxus-movement-art-museums-galleries. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

Schwendener, Martha. "Celebrating Fluxus, a Movement That Didn't Create by the Rules." New York Times, 6 Jan. 2012, www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/nyregion/celebrating-fluxus-a-movement-that-didnt-create-by-the-rules-review.html. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

"What Was Fluxus? A Brief Guide to the Irreverent, Groundbreaking Art Movement." Artspace, 22 July 2016, www.artspace.com/magazine/art‗101/book‗report/what-was-fluxus-54032. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.