Called the "Evel Knievel of Art" by some, it would be fair to say that the art of Chris Burden is largely misunderstood. Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Burden studied physics, architecture, and visual arts at Pomona College in California before obtaining his MFA at the University of California. In the early 1970 he became known for his controversial performance artworks. His style became known as Actionism; art that centers on his body as the object and subject of the art. Here is where most get all messed up: what he does is not about violence! The art is about the mental experience that he has, as well as the mental experience of the audience. To make the experience more meaningful, he limits the number of viewers to make a greater impact. Those few then report their experience to the larger public. Here is example of his logic: Lets say you had tickets to see The Dave Mathew’s Band at Red Rocks in Colorado. That would be an awesome show that you shared with some 10,000 other people. But It might be a better story and experience if you saw them play in some tiny venue that only had a hundred people there and they played some songs they never play to get a reaction from those hundred people. Two great experiences, but one may be more personal and unique than the other.

Burden did several unique performances including: spending five days locked in a locker that was 2' x 2' x 3', laid on a sheet of glass until he was disturbed (forty-five hours later), he was nailed (crucifixion style) to the back of a Volkswagen Beetle roaring at full throttle, laid in a bed for twenty-two days (“In the beginning it was real boring. It was very painful and hard to do, but I found that toward the end I actually got to enjoy it there.”), arced live electric wires across his body, disappeared for three days, divorced a wife, tried to breathe water, and many other scenarios.

His most known, and there for the performance that made the general public misunderstand his work, was Shoot. In that performance, Burden was shot in his left arm by an assistant that was standing fifteen feet away. The bullet entered his bicep and blew out his tricep. Thinking he was mentally unstable after that event, he was forced into psychiatric evaluations.