Dennis Oppenheim (1938 - 2011) - Extended Expressions

This offset lithograph by Dennis Oppenheim (1938–2011) is derived from his 1971 video work Extended Expressions, performed in Aspen, Colorado. The 20-minute video documents Oppenheim and his son Erik engaging in a facial mirroring exercise—an early example of intergenerational performance art that explores transmission of emotion, expression, and identity.

The artwork features a sequence of screen-like stills capturing father and son attempting to synchronize facial expressions. A typed statement by the artist below explains the conceptual basis of the work: the transfer of stimuli across biological and temporal lines, with the son's mimicry serving as a re-entry into the artist’s past. This poetic act of shared expression aligns closely with the body and process art movements of the early 1970s.

Oppenheim was a leading figure in American conceptual and performance art. His oeuvre spans land art, body art, and installation, often questioning authorship, transformation, and communication. He exhibited widely, including at Documenta, the Venice Biennale, and major institutions such as the Tate, MoMA, and the Centre Pompidou.

This piece resonates with the practices of contemporaries and collaborators such as Vito Acconci, Bruce Nauman, Chris Burden, Marina Abramović, Dan Graham, Allan Kaprow, Yoko Ono, Joseph Beuys, Nam June Paik, and Gilbert & George. It also fits within a lineage of experimental video and performance art alongside artists like Bill Viola, Joan Jonas, and Valie Export.