Black Market International

Organization


Type

Artist Collective, Artist Group

About

Black Market International is a collective of ten artists from seven countries (as of 2023) that has been performing, conducting seminars and lectures since 1985, and continuously building a worldwide network of performance art through close contacts with cultural leaders and associated artists. This network, in accordance with the geographical and artistic origins of the participants, builds the model of a temporary community oriented towards integrity and constructive artistic collaboration. As the group’s name suggests, a “black market” is created here: the goods to be exchanged are cultural values. The “exchange” and the “negotiation” of “value” and “counter value” are the contents of the performances. The actions construct a laboratory situation in which the participants can experience the competence and functioning of a communication structure that Black Market International calls a mental network. This mental network can be seen as a blueprint for a utopia of social relations.

Black Market International, 2023