Art goes off with a bang

An international artist unveiled a new work at Auckland Art Gallery today - blowing up balloons and popping them.

The performance art was called The Ability to Blow Themselves Up and launched a three month exhibition called Made Active exploring the idea of action through painting, sculpture, installation and performance art.

In today's 30-minute live performance by artist Seung Yul Oh, about 20 participants were asked to go to different points around the gallery and blow up balloons until they popped.

Oh who was the 2011 recipient of the Arts Foundation Harriet Friedlander Residency, said the performance was a living sculpture.

''It's got sound, something expanding, colour, shape. It is an object they are making.'' There were mixed reactions however to the echoing bangs disturbing the quiet gallery space.

''Some got really annoyed and hated it because they wanted to come to a quiet gallery and see the artwork and there was banging,'' Oh said.

''It's a fine line whether you like it or not. Others enjoyed it because it wasn't what they expected. It was a new experience for everyone.''

Oh has used balloons in exhibitions before and likes to explore the placement of rounded objects inside the ''geometric cube box that is the gallery space''.

The performance, said Yul, is about fear and joy.

''If you get over the fear you can enjoy it.''

Made Active runs until 15 July and includes 25 exhibitors, seven of which will contribute live performances on weekends throughout this period.

The exhibition is free to the public and sponsored by Chartwell Trust.  

- © Fairfax NZ News