Shoot

performance piece by Burden

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July 21, 2026

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The performance piece Shoot (1971) by Chris Burden involved the artist being shot with a rifle by a friend. This was one of Burden's early, shockingly masochistic works that pushed the boundaries of what was considered art. Burden was an American artist known for his performance art, installation art, and sculptures, often exploring themes of danger and endurance. His later works shifted to large-scale, intricate mechanical sculptures.12

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Chris Burden
In Shoot, for example, the artist was shot with a rifle by a friend, and the event was photographed. For Trans-fixed, perhaps his best-known work, he had his hands nailed to the back of a Volkswagen Beetle, as if he were reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus.…
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In Shoot, for example, the artist was shot with a rifle by a friend, and the event was photographed. For Trans-fixed, perhaps his best-known work, he had his hands nailed to the back of a Volkswagen Beetle, as if he were reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus.…
Read More

Western painting
Body and performance art
Hence, in Shoot (1971), American artist Chris Burden had a male friend shoot him with a gun from a certain distance, sustaining a deep arm wound in the process. The works of the New York-based Vito Acconci were more essentially ironic. His notorious Seedbed (1972) involved him…
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Hence, in Shoot (1971), American artist Chris Burden had a male friend shoot him with a gun from a certain distance, sustaining a deep arm wound in the process. The works of the New York-based Vito Acconci were more essentially ironic. His notorious Seedbed (1972) involved him…
Read More