It is with great sadness that our team learned of the passing of Alison Knowles, artist, poet, and one of the most luminous figures of Fluxus.
I will always cherish our conversations in her studio in Soho — moments that remain among the brightest memories of my New York days at Bard, and of later visits. Alison radiated an extraordinary joy and openness; she was an artist who lived her philosophy, combining the everyday and the profound.
Her work was an invitation to perceive the world differently — to listen, to touch, to engage with chance and everyday life as creative forms. Works like The House of Dust or Bean Rolls demonstrated her unique capacity to weave the poetic with the material, the playful with the conceptual. Her score and performance Make a Salad is perhaps one of the most well-known works that engaged audiences around the world in the collective act of preparing and sharing a meal. Her Identical Lunches were profoundly influential, including in the early stages of our research project, when we invited the HKB Bern community to reflect on and participate in acts of communal art-making.
Alison was not only a pioneering artist but also a wonderful human being — generous, curious, and, above all, warm. Her influence extends far beyond Fluxus, into the very ways we think about art, participation, and life itself.
She will be deeply missed, yet her spirit continues to resonate — in her works, her scores, and in all those who had the privilege of knowing her.
Our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and the many collaborators and admirers who had the privilege to share in her art and life.
– Hanna B. Hölling
Activating Fluxus 