performance art

noun

: a nontraditional art form often with political or topical themes that typically features a live presentation to an audience or onlookers (as on a street) and draws on such arts as acting, poetry, music, dance, or painting
performance artist noun

Examples of performance art in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Ten years after transforming the Coachella main stage into something more like performance art, Sia is bringing the experience to movie theaters. Spin Staff, SPIN, 18 June 2026 Lisa Sowa-Downs, of Hegewisch, Illinois, said her son’s lifelong passion for performance arts began with the Genesius Guild. Anna Ortiz, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2026 Maya, like Bassichis, did an act that was a bit standup, a bit performance art, broken up by dreamy, oddball songs. Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 4 June 2026 At the center of the record is Dunham’s voice, which makes basic songwriting come off as performance art. H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 2 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for performance art

Word History

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of performance art was in 1971

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Cite this Entry

“Performance art.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/performance%20art. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.

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