Tehching Hsieh-an "Artist Without Art"

"On September 30, 1978, the performance artist Tehching Hsieh had himself locked inside a jail cell he'd built in his studio in lower Manhattan. The space was surrounded by wooden bars and measured just over 100 square feet; it contained a cot, a sink, a mirror, a pail, and a single bare light bulb on one wall. For an entire year, Hsieh did not talk, read, write, listen to music, or watch TV. Each day, he marked the passage of time by having his photograph taken and carving a single mark into the wall with his nail clippers."

"One Year Performance 1978-1979—or Cage Piece, as it's more commonly known—was neither Hsieh's first artwork nor his first performance. But it signaled the start of a period in which he subjected himself to several yearlong feats of endurance in the name of art: After the cage, he would go on to punch a time clock literally once every hour, live outside on the streets of New York City, and tie himself, 24/7, to another artist, Linda Montano."

"By the mid-1980s, many curators, writers, and fellow artists knew what Hsieh was doing—even if, as is so often the case with his work, they didn't understand his reasons for doing it or what it meant. Some were dismissive, but others responded to the extraordinary nature of his art with engagement and respect."

Tehching Hsieh, an undocumented immigrant from Taiwan, began his most significant artistic period with the Cage Piece in 1978, confining himself to a 100-square-foot cell for one year without speaking, reading, or consuming media. He marked each day through photography and wall markings. This initiated a series of yearlong endurance performances including hourly time-clock punching, living on New York City streets, and remaining physically tethered to artist Linda Montano for an entire year. Each piece followed strict rules and meticulous documentation. By the mid-1980s, curators, writers, and fellow artists recognized Hsieh's work, though many questioned his motivations and artistic meaning. His performances gradually brought him recognition within New York's avant-garde community despite his reserved nature and limited English fluency.

Read at The Nation