Tehching Hsieh's unorthodox approach to art has left many in awe, while others are left scratching their heads. For one year, starting from September 30th, 1978, Hsieh lived in a wooden cage, 11ft 6in by 9ft, without speaking, reading, or consuming any media. His only human interaction during this time was with a friend who would visit daily to feed him and remove his waste.
Hsieh's decision to confine himself in the cage was not a desperate attempt for attention but rather a deliberate choice. Born in 1950 as one of 15 children, Hsieh never finished school. During compulsory military service, he began painting but soon turned to performance art. His first action, Jump, which took place in 1973, involved him leaping from a second-storey window, an event that left him with broken ankles.
Hsieh's work often explores themes of confinement and freedom. One-Year Performance, 1981-1982, saw him living outside for the entire year, without entering any building or using a tent. The experience was brutal, with temperatures plummeting to historic lows in New York City that winter. Despite this, Hsieh persevered, documenting his daily routines and interactions with others.
Hsieh's approach to art is often described as durational, but he prefers the term "circular" to convey the idea that time is a human calculation we all recognize. His work often serves as a commentary on our hyper-connected world and the constant proximity of technology to our lives.
One-Year Performance was followed by Time Clock Piece, which required Hsieh to punch an hourly clock in his studio for 365 days straight. He also tied himself to Linda Montano for eight feet of rope during her final project, an action that pushed both artists' limits.
Throughout his career, Hsieh has been criticized for the perceived masochistic nature of his performances. However, he argues that these actions are not about pain but rather a way of passing time and acknowledging our shared human experience.
Hsieh's most recent work, Thirteen Year Plan, concluded on New Year's Eve 1999, marking the end of an artistic practice that spanned over three decades. Unlike some artists who retire or discontinue their work, Hsieh prefers to differentiate between his decision to stop creating and his completion as an artist.
"I only ever wanted to do what I wanted to do," he says, reflecting on his body of work. "I've been in New York for over 50 years, but it's not home. It's a community that has accepted me, and if people enjoy the work I made here, and I die here, I accept that."
Hsieh's decision to confine himself in the cage was not a desperate attempt for attention but rather a deliberate choice. Born in 1950 as one of 15 children, Hsieh never finished school. During compulsory military service, he began painting but soon turned to performance art. His first action, Jump, which took place in 1973, involved him leaping from a second-storey window, an event that left him with broken ankles.
Hsieh's work often explores themes of confinement and freedom. One-Year Performance, 1981-1982, saw him living outside for the entire year, without entering any building or using a tent. The experience was brutal, with temperatures plummeting to historic lows in New York City that winter. Despite this, Hsieh persevered, documenting his daily routines and interactions with others.
Hsieh's approach to art is often described as durational, but he prefers the term "circular" to convey the idea that time is a human calculation we all recognize. His work often serves as a commentary on our hyper-connected world and the constant proximity of technology to our lives.
One-Year Performance was followed by Time Clock Piece, which required Hsieh to punch an hourly clock in his studio for 365 days straight. He also tied himself to Linda Montano for eight feet of rope during her final project, an action that pushed both artists' limits.
Throughout his career, Hsieh has been criticized for the perceived masochistic nature of his performances. However, he argues that these actions are not about pain but rather a way of passing time and acknowledging our shared human experience.
Hsieh's most recent work, Thirteen Year Plan, concluded on New Year's Eve 1999, marking the end of an artistic practice that spanned over three decades. Unlike some artists who retire or discontinue their work, Hsieh prefers to differentiate between his decision to stop creating and his completion as an artist.
"I only ever wanted to do what I wanted to do," he says, reflecting on his body of work. "I've been in New York for over 50 years, but it's not home. It's a community that has accepted me, and if people enjoy the work I made here, and I die here, I accept that."
this guy is like totally obsessed with testing boundaries, you feel? living in a cage without human interaction for a whole year is straight up crazy! and its not even like he's trying to shock people or something... hes just really into exploring what it means to be free, i guess. but at the same time, some of his methods sound super harsh... like, freezing in nyc winter? thats just cruel 
anyway, i think its kinda cool that he's not worried about what others think, and is just doing his own thing, even if it makes people uncomfortable
It's like he was trying to prove that art isn't just about having all the latest gadgets and tech, but about pushing boundaries and exploring what it means to be human. And can we talk about his approach to time? Like, he calls it "circular" instead of "durational" because he thinks of it as a shared human experience 
. I'm totally inspired by his creativity and dedication to his art. He's like the ultimate tech-free artist 
. Living in a cage without talking or watching TV? That sounds like torture 
. and yeah i get what he means about time being human calc, but it feels kinda... self-indulgent? not sure tho 
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like what even is the point of all these performances? is he trying to say something about our addiction to tech or how we're stuck in time? i dont know man, but i do know his work is super thought-provoking 
His cage was like a digital detox without the Instagram filter 
. Who else would voluntarily put themselves through that kinda mental torture? Like, 11ft 6in cage, no speaking or reading? That's dedication to art, fam! And the fact that he lived like that for a year straight without any media, only human interaction with one friend... that's dedication to humanity too 
), but Hsieh just gets what he wants done and doesn't care about the rest. And honestly, his art stuff often makes me think of my own procrastination methods... like, why bother with a normal life when you can live in a cage?
but at the same time, you can feel the passion and conviction behind it all...like he's not doing it for attention or to be some kind of thrill-seeker, but because it's what he needs to do to express himself. his work is super thought-provoking too - I mean, how does that one-year performance even prepare you for the real world? 
and yeah, i can see why people might think his performances are masochistic, but like, isn't that just a human experience in itself? we're all just trying to pass time and make sense of it all...anyway, i'm low-key impressed by this guy's dedication to his art 
... it's almost like he was trying to experience life on his own terms, even if that meant being trapped 
11ft by 9ft is basically a tiny room 
he's like a human insect 
trying to survive just by having a friend visit him daily 
to feed him and take out his trash 
lolol what would you do in that situation? 
The fact that he did it not just once but multiple times shows how serious he was about exploring the human experience.
. And hey, even if some of his methods seem extreme to us, he's still an artist who's unapologetically himself, which is kinda inspiring?