Marathon Woman

Teresa Albor has a way of turning all expectations of the art world upside down by asking bold questions about what art is — and, in turn, what an artist is — and who it really serves. That’s part of the motive behind her 100 Paintings in 24 Hours performance, which is exactly what it says it is. The London-based multidisciplinary artist will be at book store/performance space beginning Counterpath at 11 a.m. today, making paintings that she’ll hang on the wall in a grid over a 24-hour period.

“It’s very liberating to work with abandon,” Albor says. The actual work is methodical, and I break it up by hanging batches of a painting in a neat grid pattern on the wall. It’s hard work, though, and there’s always a point in the performance where I wish I’d called it ‘50 Paintings in 24 Hours.’” And once it’s all over, Albor will give the paintings away, no questions asked. “By giving away the art, I maintain control of the process,” she notes. “I don’t hand it over to ‘the market,’ where the purchaser chooses to buy it. Instead, I choose to give it to whomever I want. Also, questions are raised about the ‘value’ of the work. Sometimes people insist on paying me, because they are uncomfortable with losing control. In one instance a man insisted, and then forced $10 on me. What did that say about how he ‘valued’ my labor or the piece of art he held in his hand?”

While Albor paints, Counterpath will simultaneously host a marathon reading of Gertrude Stein’s poetry book Tender Buttons — just reprinted in a centennial edition from City Lights — starting at 7 p.m. Counterpath is at 613 22nd Street; get more information at counterpathpress.org.

Mon., April 28, 7 p.m., 2014