Long Suffering: American Endurance Art as Prophetic Witness by Karen Gonzalez Rice (review)

In Long Suffering: American Endurance Art as Prophetic Witness, Karen Gonzalez Rice connects endurance art to American traditions steeped in Judeo-Christian religion, evangelization, and socio-political activism. Through analyzing the work of endurance artists including Linda Montano, Ron Athey, and John Duncan, she historicizes the work of these artists, focusing on the impetus behind artistic creation and the impact the performances have had on audiences. She argues, "Through the intersubjectivity of testimony, endurance art constitutes witnessing publics, bringing together communities whose relations are still yet undetermined."

Gonzalez Rice explores the influence of each artist's personal histories, including extensive archival research and interviews. She begins with Linda Montano who, during her Catholic upbringing, observed that achieving sainthood within the Catholic Church demanded violence, and often involved assault, mutilation, and murder. By looking at Montano's performances through the frame of religion, Gonzalez Rice argues that witnesses can better understand how early childhood trauma experienced during oppressive religious rituals informs all aspects of adult life. Similarly, in her second case study, she considers how Ron Athey's perspectives are informed by his early Pentecostal upbringing, his decision to leave the church, self-harm, and the AIDS epidemic. Gonzalez Rice's exploration into his work allows readers to think about the potential for healing that comes from endurance for both spectators and performers.

She closes with artist John Duncan, whose endurances have addressed extreme violence, war, and pornography. His 1980 piece, Blind Date, is known as one of the most polarizing works in endurance art history. Gonzalez Rice sets her analysis of this work and his other creations within the context of the Calvinist theology of his Presbyterian upbringing. Her research helps readers empathize with the artist by placing his work within the context of religious trauma.

This is a timely exploration of the relationship between the artist and culture. Gonzalez Rice offers an important contribution to performance and theatre studies, particularly around the impact of religion, trauma, and autobiographically influenced performance. She closes by stating, "By using their bodies to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice, endurance artists in the United States participate in deep traditions of American radicalism, creating possibilities for performing dissent as survival, generating productive and sometimes unbearable tensions, and challenging us, as witnesses, to add our own weight to the balance." In our current political climate, Gonzalez Rice's research is essential to understanding not only the historical impact and place of such endurance art, but how we can frame the work of future artists.