performance art

American  

noun

1. a collaborative art form originating in the 1970s as a fusion of several artistic media, as painting, film, video, music, drama, and dance, and deriving in part from the 1960s performance happenings.

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performance art British  

noun

1. a theatrical presentation that incorporates various art forms, such as dance, sculpture, music, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• performance artist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of performance art

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Further events will take place later in the month and throughout the summer to celebrate Eric - including a family special educational needs session, a musical tribute and performance art project.

From BBC • May 14, 2026

That is, of course, assuming there is some kind of larger strategy in play here and this isn’t some kind of performance art.

From Salon • May 12, 2026

All land art is performance art to some extent, and Michael Heizer spent more than 50 years shaping “City.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

It’s theater for the post-Twitch age, performance art for those weaned on “The Legend of Zelda” or “Pokémon.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

“Yeah, then we’re entering postfood, performance art territory. Which is not pathetic. I appreciate the thought, but please, follow my lead tonight.”

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner