The artist describes his works as 'constructed situations'. His materials are situations animated through references to art history and the participation of interpreters who use voice, reenactment, language, movement, dramaturgy and interaction to shape the experiences of visitors. He resists the production of physical objects in an extension of the logics of western conceptual art and as a part of his commitment to an ecological politics of production. Sehgal's pieces are regularly staged in museums or galleries, and continuously executed by trained individuals he refers to as “interpreters”
Untitled (2000) Untitled (2000) or also called
Twenty Minutes for the Twentieth Century, is one of his earliest works. A solo for a naked male dancer, initially performed by Sehgal himself and later by Frank Willens, Andrew Hardwidge and
Boris Charmatz. In the piece fragments of 20 dance styles are performed in a parkour through a history of 20th century western dance practice. The piece and its reception cemented Sehgal's interest in the exhibition framework by appropriating the idea of the historical retrospective in the context of the theatre.
This is good (2001) For
This is good (2001) a museum worker waves their arms and hops from one leg to the other, then states the title of the piece.
Kiss (2002) First shown in France,
Kiss was exhibited and acquired by Toronto's Art Gallery of Ontario, the first museum in North America to present the artist's work. The
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, was the first American museum to acquire
Kiss. An edition of four, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, acquired the final edition of
Kiss. Best considered a sculptural work,
Kiss is constituted by two dancers who move together slowly through a series of postures reenacting images of kisses from classic works of art history; the work appropriates the different amorous poses in
Auguste Rodin's
The Kiss (1889),
Constantin Brâncuși's
The Kiss (1908),
Gustav Klimt's
The Kiss (1907–08),
Jeff Koons and
La Cicciolina's
Made in Heaven (1990–91) and various
Gustave Courbet paintings from the 1860s, one after the other.
This objective of that object (2004) For
This objective of that object (2004), the visitor is confronted by five people who remain with their backs to the visitors. The five chant, "The objective of this work is to become the object of a discussion," and if the visitor does not respond, they slowly sink to the ground. If the visitor says something, they begin a discussion.
This is So Contemporary (2005) In this work performers dance in a happy, emphatic way around visitors entering the exhibition space, singing, "Oh, this is so contemporary, contemporary, contemporary. Oh, this is so contemporary, contemporary, contemporary." The catchy melody and exciting dances left some of the museum visitors cheerful and dancing, themselves.
This you (2006) In 2018, the
Hirshhorn Museum acquired
This You (2006), a piece of performance art featuring a solo female singer performing outdoors, the performers themselves choose songs based on the mood they perceive the visitor to be in.
This situation (2007) For
This situation (2007), Sehgal engaged the participation of a group of intellectuals. They occupied an otherwise empty gallery space and interacted with each other and the audience through discussions of a set of memorised quotes while moving in slow motion between different positions and postures from art history in a games-like form established by the artist.
This Success/This Failure (2007) In
This Success/This Failure (2007) young children attempt to play without using objects and sometimes draw visitors into their games.
This progress (2010) Exhibited at the
Guggenheim Museum, New York, the artist empties
Frank Lloyd Wright's famed spiral gallery of all art work. The museum visitor is met at the base of the spiral by a child, who asks a small group what they think progress is. As they begin their ascent up the spiral ramp the visitors continue their conversation until they are met by a high school student who picks up the conversation and asks further non-sequitur questions. Further still, they are met by a young adult and lastly an older adult who finishes their ascent to the upper-most point in the Guggenheim.
This variation (2012) For
documenta XIII (2012) Sehgal orchestrated
This variation, an immersive piece, developed with a group of dancers and the composer
Ari Benjamin Meyers. The work places viewers in a nearly dark gallery among the performers who dance and sing a cappella arrangements and improvisations of electronic music, using a score created by Sehgal to create an evolving dramaturgy and "an electrifying aural-spatial experience of pure, unencumbered imagination in action".
These associations (2012) In 2012, Sehgal was the 13th artist commissioned by the
Tate Modern for its annual Unilever series. The first “live” work in the vast space,
These associations consists solely of encounters between around 70 storytellers and visitors to the gallery.
¥ with Tino Seghal (2021) Tino Seghal and
Ye published a conversation with mention of a planned art piece called "The Funeral Rehearsal of Kanye West". ==Exhibitions==