One Year Performance 1980-1981 – Tehching Hsieh

One Year Performance 1980-1981, documents 12 months in the life of artist Tehching Hsieh. During that period he committed to punching a clock each hour of every day and photographing the process. The result is a series of snapshots which display a man in various states of distress, sleep deprivation and boredom.

The pictures also demonstrate a disturbing uniformity. In each image, Hsieh wears an anonymous grey shirt embroidered with his name. There is nothing to prove the passage of time in these stills except the slow growth of the artist’s hair. It is this comment on the bland sameness of working life, complemented with the blankness of his gaze which conveys the power of the exhibition.

This piece is a confronting look at a society which insists on conformity and slow destruction of individuality. In this performance, Hsieh reflects on the futility of ordinary existence, and ironically its value and opportunity. (LR)

Until July 6, Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh, free, (02) 8571 9089, carriageworks.com.au