Chris Burden "Shoot"

Chris Burden's conceptual performance from the early 1970s. Shot on Super-8, 16mm film, and half-inch video. Guided by the artist's comments on both the works and the documentative process.

• Category

  Film & Animation

[gangsterchoad1]

Its performance art, relating to the vietnam war. A large crowd gathered and watched him get shot in person. The purpose was to show you what really happens when someone gets shot and how it happens all the time in vietnam, and then later it makes you think of the underlying question, why didn't i do something. In this case the something would be stopping the guy from shooting chris, but the real cause is why dont i do something to stop vietnam... I think thats what it is

[lilroses123]

I believe what everyone seems to be forgetting is that art is a statement. It's not always pretty, most artist make art to push something into your mind. It's their way of saying "look! stop being so caught up and look! this is important, this needs to be mulled over." Also art is controversial! Everyone that is hating is feeding into exactly what the artist wanted, not everyone is supposed to like it. It's supposed to cause a stir, but when are yall going to realize your opinions are just that?

[Hermine Stover]

I would have to agree, yes.



[MrCayuga]

Getting yourself shot is not an art. It's a mental illness.

[Tk James]

man, i just can't deal art is powerful for each of us in its own way.

[oddsdiner]

genius, the point=make niggas talk. look all u niggas talkin/Evaluating/reasoning. lol

[BLIJmarika]

It's also a way of showing how far one can really push their own limits. Burden is completely aware and knowing that he will be shot, he knows that it will be painful but he pushes further and takes it. As a piece of performance body art, limits were usually what were tested within the artist. Our bodies are basically all we are, so what happens when we turn against ourselves? What emotions will it bring up and what will we then be capable of after we've destroyed all that we are.

[dylan benson]

if he would have been shot in the head his point would have came across stronger

[imageryfriend]

You are both correct, actually. There were very few people who actually witnessed the shooting, but many people gathered outside the room to see him come out after being shot. But, as in all conceptual art, the idea, rather than the event, is the actual aesthetic artwork. The means through which the idea is transmitted is simply documentation. It was not important that people witnessed the event first-hand because we all experience the art in the idea of the event and knowing that it occurred.

[Lorel Joy]

I heard on a BBC interview with him that there was only like 12 people in the room watching. Not that that makes your interpretation wrong, just different facts.

[linZstylee]

I guess what I mean claiming there is some sort of importance to this is pretentious.... I just equate this to people I have seen at school calling their paint splatter on canvas a 'comment about our society and economy' when they know damn well they just flung some paint at canvas. Like "Oh hey, let's shoot me in the arm and tape it. Later on, we can try really hard to think of some sort of metaphor so that we can call this art, and then people that don't get it feel bad about themselves.