Lisa Chen and Anelise Chen and i got to visit the studio of someone who frequently gets called the grandfather of performance art, Tehching Hsieh. the resulting interview has just been published in the Believer magazine — and should be available online soon is available online here.
to talk to hsieh was really an honor. here’s my favorite part of the interview:
_________
Tehching Hsieh: In the beginning I couldn’t meet your kind of people. Your kind of people would say, “What is this guy, a stranger, an illegal?” Because your kind of people—this is the first time I’ve been interviewed by your kind of people in 42 years.
BLVR: Really? Wait, what do you mean, us “kind of people”?
TH: Asian American. [Laughter.] You get it! This is the first time. I’m not trying to make it an issue.
BLVR: You say this is the first time Asian Americans are interviewing you, which I find both surprising and not, but, you should know, for us, you are a very important precedent, a groundbreaker.
TH: I just wanted to say that it’s come late. Forty-two years late.
Read the whole interview here.