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

An architect by training, Censori, 31, has been an enigmatic and largely silent fixture in West’s orbit for years, making her statements mostly through provocative performance art that often incorporates public nudity. —Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026

The choreographies unfurled by the ultras were performance art, a major part of derby tradition. —James Horncastle, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026

In the early 1970s, Politi launched Heute Kunst, a German-language art journal devoted to Fluxus, Conceptual, and performance art. —News Desk, Artforum, 3 Mar. 2026

The current North American tour brings its one-of-a-kind musical instruments, strange customs and riveting performance art routines to the Waterbury Palace for three shows on March 3 and March 4. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for performance art

• apart
• depart
• flowchart
• forepart
• impart
• pushcart
• rampart
• redstart
• restart
• subpart
• sweetheart
• upstart