Author(s): Edward Scheer

Art

Mike Parr is Australia's most significant performance artist. His contribution to the development and establishment of performance art in Australia remains continuous and resolute. Parr's dedication and research into the boundaries of performance art within the parameters of art history and theory are unprecedented. At the forefront of performance art in Australia in 1970, Parr explored areas far removed from mainstream visual culture at the time. Despite the contempt, he persevered, remaining true to his practice. This long awaited book pays homage to Parr's achievements and is an essential admission into Australia's cultural memory. Compiled by the artist, this first hand account includes an extraordinary array of photographic documentation together with performance scripts and the artist's writings on his work, encapsulating the qualities that have made Mike Parr one of Australia's greatest cultural assets on the world stage. Parr has performed in Switzerland, France, Austria, Italy, USA, Japan, The Philippines, Sweden and throughout Australia since 1973.