Ron Athey
Ron's willingness to be cut on a stage in public and bleed in front of other people really challenged us to think the body and its boundaries.
Professor Victoria Pitts
Professor Victoria Pitts
Ron Athey, the Californian performance artist, began performing 20 years ago in nightclubs and has influenced a generation of body artists. He is fascinated with the public’s attitude to pain and what is acceptable.
Ron is particualrly well known for his extremely controversial public scarification performances pieces in the early nineties, and his willingness to be cut and bleed on stage in public when HIV/AIDS was very much in the public eye.
He has now broken out of the underground scene to become a gallery based performance artist. Nowadays, his performances generally don't involve bloodshed but humour is a very important part of his art.
Performances
4 Scenes in a Harsh Life, ICA Theatre, London, 1994
Deliverance, ICA Theatre, London, 1995
Judas Cradle, Participant Inc Gallery, New York, 2005
4 Scenes in a Harsh Life, ICA Theatre, London, 1994
Deliverance, ICA Theatre, London, 1995
Judas Cradle, Participant Inc Gallery, New York, 2005