I first heard of Chirs Burden due to art history class. At that time, he was notable because of the extremity of his performance art pieces. Shoot (where he was shot with a .22 ), and Trans-Fixed (being crucified to a VW Bug) at the very least shows a level of dedication to their art that most artists don’t have. Even if the act didn’t speak to you, it was hard to be nonchalant about the work. You kind of had to at least sit in stupefied silence at the reality of the act.
However, I’m terrible with names, and when he moved to more traditional pieces of art, I didn’t realize that I was dealing with the same artist. I remember being moved by the simplicity of All of the Submarines of the United States of America. It doesn’t really make a statement other than one of the reality of the subject. Standing under those models and thinking about all of the things those submarines did in the past, were capable of, and what they might do in the future was sobering.
Similarly, I had no idea the same artist had done Metropolis II. I don’t think it has the same gravity as the earlier works, but it is whimsical without being insipid. I could watch it for hours.
So, I’m sure there are other Burden works out there for me to see. I’m sorry he didn’t have more time to make more.
And in closing, the song that Laurie Anderson dedicated to him, It’s Not the Bullet that Kills You (It’s the Hole).
