Andre Stitt
Born in Belfast, N. Ireland, Stitt is considered one of Europe's foremost performance artists. He has worked as a live artist since 1976 creating hundreds of unique performances at major galleries, festivals, alternative venues and sites specific throughout the world.
Recent performances/exhibitions included tours of Japan, Eastern Europe and USA and a residency at Roches Point Lighthouse in Ireland during summer 2002. His most recent akshuns have included the Arvika Rock festival, Sweden, Zone 3, Rumania, Transart Communication, Slovakia. In Nov/Dec 2002 he will work in Stockholm & Belfast, and throughout 2003 will produce a series of ten specially commissioned performances and an exhibition in Bedford,
England.
In 1999 he relocated to Cardiff to become head of the Time Based Art course at Cardiff School of Art, UWIC. The course focuses on contemporary interdisciplinary practices - performance art, video, installation, sonic, interactive and web casting.
In 2000 he opened TRACE: Installaction Artspace in Cardiff initiating a robust program featuring international and local performance and interdisciplinary artists. www.tracegallery.org
In 2001 he curated the largest performance art event in London for over a decade - "Span2" featured a 4 week program of 21 international artists from all over the world.
Stitt is identified with a strain of performance relating more to visual art and action [identified in Stitt's work as "akshun"]. His work focuses on difficult and traumatic themes; issues of oppression, freedom, coercion, subversion, experiences of alienation, appropriation of cultures, globalization, and communal conflict. His work physically and emotionally embodies the divisive forces of capitalism and materialist addiction; processes of building and disintegration and the resulting journey toward redemption.
Stitt's uncompromising style has been variously described as "..enigmatic and corruptive.. unmissible" [Time Out, London] "..fierce integrity, immediate, spontaneous, releasing" [High Performance, USA] and Performance Magazine [UK] has described him as "..perhaps our shaman who is prepared to explore what most of us would not care to be let alone try to express" "..the nearest thing Britain has to a genuine indigenous cult performer."
A new book about his work "SMALL TIME LIFE (isbn. 1 901033 67 8)," is published by Black Dog Publishing in association with Locus+, 5 Ravenscroft St., London E2 7SH, UK.
T:+44 [0]20 7613 1922
F:+44[0] 20 7613 1944
E: info@bdp.demon.co.uk
The book features extensive text, color, and black and white images with Introductions by Roddy Hunter and Dr. Al Ackerman.
Other publications include:
"HOMEWORK" Scores, statements from akshuns 1976-2000 published by KRASH, Cologne, Germany
"SOUTH OF NO NORTH" works 2000-2002, Fort Sztuki [Poland] & Sirius Arts Centre [Ireland] published Dec. 2002.
Correspondence dates: Late 1970s - present