The 10 Most Insane Art Stunts

When word first reached our ear about Marni Kotak's limited engagement, "The Birth of Baby X," we couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. The pregnant Brooklyn-based artist, known for mourning her grandfather, losing her virginity, and even being born (well, via re-enactments) before audiences, recently made headlines after announcing that her latest exhibit would entail opening the Microscope Gallery doors to anyone who cared to see the birth of her baby. Of the event, the artist has said, " I hope that people will see that human life itself is the most profound work of art." Alrighty then.

Kotak, however, is far from the first to put herself out there in the name of art. Stepping out from behind the lens, canvas, or what have you, and putting one's own self at the center of an exhibit is a practice that dates way back, and seems to invite more and more bizarre displays each year. From condoms to car crucifixions, check out some of the most unbreakable cases on our list of the 10 Most Insane Art Stunts.

RELATED: The 25 Actors Who Are Crazy In Real Life

Artist: Vito Acconi

If you’ve ever considered yourself a New Yorker, you probably know that stumbling upon some suspect dude servicing himself, be it discreetly on the subway or flagrantly in the middle of the park, is almost like a rite of passage. For those that wanted to expedite the process back in the day, however, there was SeedBed, notorious poet-turned-artist Vito Acconi’s 1971 exhibit at the Sonnabend Gallery. Visitors would walk in to find the space empty except for a low wooden ramp. Beneath it was the artist, masturbating day in and out while voicing his fantasies about the visitors above over a loudspeaker. His goal? “I have to continue all day—cover the floor with sperm, seed the floor.” We don’t envy whoever had to clean up.

Artist: Seanna Sharpe and Savage Skinner

While most of the artists who made our list limited their stunts to the confines of specific galleries, two aerialists made news this past July for putting on an impromptu performance on the Williamsburg Bridge. Swinging 300 feet above traffic from a silk rope were Seanna Sharpe and her partner Savage Skinner. According to the Wall Street Journal, it took seven minutes for the twosome to scale the tower before they began unleashing around fifteen minutes worth of twirls, flips, and other death-defying tricks. Ultimately, the pair was taken into police custody, but not before lowering themselves down to the roaring cheers of flannel-clad onlookers. Or at least that’s how we like to imagine it.

Artist: Tracey Emin

You might not want to be so quick to tidy up that grimy bed of yours—some people might consider it art. At least such was the case with the English sensation Tracey Emin’s notorious sleep space. In 1999, Emin exhibited “My Bed” at the Tate Gallery, which served as a visual confessional of the artist’s struggle with a nervous breakdown. Rather than presenting her story on canvas, however, Emin’s bed was showcased before audiences in all of its embarrassing glory. Booze bottles, stained underwear, used condoms, and more were observed by the fascinated public. And you thought yours looked bad.

Artist: Simon Morley

If there was ever a better reason for you to check that “dick-as-a-watch” trick at the door, it’s artist Simon Morley’s weird international phenomenon, “Puppetry of the Penis,” which will undoubtedly put it to shame. What started out as a calendar showcasing Morley’s twelve favorite “Dick Tricks” soon evolved into a live show that gained speed after its award-winning appearance in the 1998 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. In case there was any doubt, the show is exactly what it sounds like: nude men displaying their finest genital origami. Sound up your alley? If you’ve got a couple hundred dollars to spare, it’s not too late to catch a plane to the UK. Across the pond, the show is currently enjoying a nice long run.

Artist: Marni Kotak

Ever wish you could witness the “Miracle of Life” up close and in person? Well, for those that weren’t traumatized by forced viewings in high school (or happen to be straight up curious), you can watch a baby make its official debut this month at the Microscope gallery in Bushwick, New York. Pregnant performance artist Marni Kotak will be there until November 7th, kicking it with her husband, midwife, and doula in front of live audiences until her kid’s ready to pop out. Of the showcase, Kotak says, “Real life is the best performance art.” Don’t forget the tissues!

Artist: Marlene Haring

No, that’s not a yeti. In 2005, artist Marlene Haring took to the sidewalks of Vienna to engage bystanders in one of the city’s weirdest-ever guerilla performances. Well, we aren’t sure if “performance” quite captures the event. Crawling around on all fours, the hair-clad woman led a group of fifty or so followers across the city, and ultimately back to her place, where a sign awaited them on the bathroom door: “If you want to talk to me, you have to bathe with me.” Several people apparently jumped in the tub. Like you could resist.

Artist: Marion Laval-Jeantet

In an effort to “explore trans-species relationships” this past August, French performance artist Marion Laval-Jeantet spent several months receiving small doses of animal antibodies to prepare her system for a giant injection of horse blood plasma. Post-exchange, the born again white stallion paraded around with her donor before a group of observers in a “communication ritual” while wearing a set of hooved stilts. Of the experience, Laval-Jeantet noted, “I was not normal in my body.” Sounds like an understatement.

Artist: Millie Brown

It takes a strong stomach to observe vomiting artist Millie Brown in action. Those who peeped the footage of last July’s LiveStudio performance were treated to the sights and sounds of Brown regurgitating different colored milks onto a canvas while two opera singers provided the soundtrack. (We guess it’s a step up from listening to retching.) Think that’s bizarre? One art fan actually dropped $2,400 on the infamous painting. Try purging that from your memory.

Artist: Chris Burden

ln April of 1974, American artist Chris Burden allowed both of his hands to be nailed to the roof of a Volkswagen as he lay face up, arms stretched out to his sides. Shortly after his “crucifixion,” an assistant pushed the car out of its garage and the engine was allowed to run for two whole minutes. We’d love to know what Volkswagen’s PR had to say about this.

Artist: Marina Abramovic

Chris Burden wasn’t the only performance artist who displayed a taste for masochism in 1974. In what came to be known as Marina Abramovic’s most famous exhibition, the fate of the self-proclaimed “grandmother of performance art” was put completely in the hands of the audience. The stunt involved Abramovic standing before the masses, beside her a table of 72 objects, which the audience was invited via note to use upon her in any way they pleased. From feathers and whips to scalpels and knives, nothing was off limits. At first, the audience responded modestly, barely prodding the passive artist, but by the end, her clothes had been cut off, her skin had been sliced with razors, her stomach punctured by rose thorns, and a gun had even been held to her head. Per Abramovic, “What I learned was that…if you leave it up to the audience, they can kill you.”