Tehching Hsieh (born in 1950, Nan Chou, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese-American artist, lives and works in New York. He was an illegal immigrant for 14 years until got amnesty in 1988. Tehching Hsieh dropped out from high school and started art from painting; he made several action pieces after he finished his three years of compulsory military service in Taiwan. In 1974, as a trained sailor, Hsieh jumped ship to a pier of Delaware River, near Philadelphia, and made a living as a dishwasher and cleaner in the first four years in New York. From 1978 – 1986, Hsieh has accomplished five One Year Performances; from 1986 – 1999, he did Thirteen-Year Plan. On Jan 1st, 2000, in his public report, Tehching Hsieh announced that he kept himself alive. He stopped making art since then.
Artwork Tehching Hsieh is most known for his five One Year Performances.
One Year Performance 1978–1979 (Cage Piece)
Sealed in an 11’6″ × 9’ × 8’ wooden cage in his Tribeca studio, Tehching Hsieh spent a year in solitary confinement, without talking, reading, writing, listening to the radio, or watching TV.
One Year Performance 1980–1981 (Time Clock Piece)
Tehching Hsieh punched a time clock every hour on the hour, 24 hours a day, for one year.
One Year Performance 1981–1982 (Outdoor Piece)
Tehching Hsieh stayed outdoors for one year, without going into any building, subway, train, car, airplane, ship, cave, or tent.
Art / Life One Year Performance 1983–1984 (Rope Piece)
Tehching Hsieh and artist Linda Montano tied at waist by an 8 – foot rope without touching each other for one year.
One Year Performance 1985–1986 (No Art Piece)
Tehching Hsieh went for life for one year, without talking, seeing, reading art, or going into art gallery or museum.
Tehching Hsieh 1986–1999 (Thirteen -Year Plan)
Tehching Hsieh did art without showing it publicly during these thirteen years. This piece starts from his 36th birthday, Dec 31st, 1986, ends on Dec.31st, 1999. At the first day of 2000, in his public report in Johnson Memorial Church, Hsieh announced that “I kept myself alive.”
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