A new book, "Performing Chance: The Art of Alison Knowles In/Out of Fluxus" by art historian Nicole L. Woods, is the first major study of the late Fluxus artist Alison Knowles, who died last fall at age 92. The book focuses on the first two decades of her career (1958–1975), analyzing key works such as her 1962 performance "Proposition #2: Make a Salad" at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts, and her shift from painting to experimental, ephemeral art after being exiled to a basement by Josef Albers at Syracuse University.
This review matters because Knowles, the only female founding member of Fluxus, has long been understudied despite her quiet radicalism. The book attempts to remedy that gap, though the reviewer notes that Woods's scholarly analysis sometimes stifles the artist's joyful spontaneity. The article highlights ongoing challenges in documenting female avant-garde artists and the difficulty of capturing elusive, process-based work in traditional art historical frameworks.