Encountering Boris Nieslony: A Performance Art Mentor

This first-hand account offers the story of Boris Nieslony and how he is remembered within the context of performance art history.

Through the lens of mentoring, hosting, caring and living and learning together, this behind-the-scenes glimpse maps the complex life of Boris Nieslony and illustrates his presence with performance art over the past 40 years. Here readers come to better understand Nieslony’s true interest in the relationships between the pedagogy of performance, and its tendency to overlap with concept of being in the world; how it overlaps, compliments, and calls for change within both traditional and non-traditional learning environments.

This study will be of great interest to both performance art professionals and educators.

Michael Barrett teaches art history and performs extensively worldwide, including Austria, Czechia, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland. His research interests explore the transformative capacity of performance art in the context of the 21st century. By examining, assessing, and archiving specific locations, artists, and performances, his investigation seeks to understand how performance art continues to emerge as a revolutionary and influential force, challenging conventional notions of art, identity, activism, and pedagogy.