Photographers: @andreykezzyn @kazimirova_design

Model: Mischa Badasyan

How long should an art project last? Who sets the limits of a performance art piece? Could you turn your life into an art?

Since 2014 I have been interested in long durational art projects that break the boundaries between everyday life and art. You no longer control an art piece, the opposite: you follow the process and stick to the concept. I found it as an honest approach in artistic expression. Usually white cubes and other spaces are limiting you and your body. You become a prisoner of your own project. In the 365 / 1 year projects you can empower yourself and create a totally new level of reality.

There can be a moment of anxiety starting out on a 365 project and you might feel like you don’t know what you are doing. Be comfortable with not knowing. Of course you don’t know everything yet! Just go ahead with your idea if you really believe in it.

There is more than just one great idea or a concept hiding behind the 365 / 1 year projects. You also have to be flexible, which means letting go of the idea that there is a single right way to conduct a project. It is also good to lose control for a bit. There is no way you are going to get exactly what you started imagining. You can end up with something special, unexpectedly good, or sometimes also bad and disappointing but it is your own life.

Recognize your freedom in art

There are many possibilities and they might be all good. It’s kind of a paradox, but you actually start to feel more control in your performance piece, knowing there are many choices. When something goes differently than you had planned, you can follow that new direction or go back and work on the old one some more. You do not have to feel stuck with it.

Choose your feelings while doing a 365 project

You can’t always choose the outcome of a performance, but you can choose your reaction. You also have a choice in what you feel. Recognize your habits. You always choose. Some of our actions are so habitual or seem so obvious that we don’t see them as choices, but they are. They’re just ones we repeat a lot. What are your habits? Do you want to keep them? Appreciate the moments you feel connected. Do not discount them because you can’t hold them. Focusing on the important parts in your project makes it more likely that you will be able to repeat them and use them to move even further. Accept also that connections come and go. You always have to stay alert and be ready for change.

The process is the biggest and most important part of the 365 / 1 year art projects