The Performance Art Network (PAN) in Vienna featured Billy (USA) along with Katrin Herznern (Germany), Julia Klarig and Andrea Salzman (Austria), UpStage (New Zealand) and Pascale Grau (Switzerland) in PANik3, an evening of work intended "to transact aspects of documentation". The players had a full house that remained well into the evening discussing art theory. Maybe it's the water.
When he brings his works into formal spaces, Billy often refers to it as documenting performance in performance - or as the Viennese program noted, "Here the term 'live' and 'not-live' is disputable from scratch. For Billy X. Curmano art equals life. His performances mostly happen on imponderable terrain. In order to reach a live audience, he translates the past event for and on another stage." - Veronika Merklein.
A Book???
The PANik 3 performance also led to a new project with a Viennese Publishing House for experimental artists' books. It will be a 3-way collaboration between Billy, artist/publisher Thomas Geiger and artist/designer Astrid Seme. The publisher's stated intent is to show the breadth and diversity of Billy's work from performance, painting and sculpture to video, post cards and even T-shirts, to a "younger, European audience". The 3 already have a drop box on the web to share work and ideas. After the European publication the files may be used to publish an American version.