<p>The paper discusses the problems contemporary Swedish art criticism faces when judging performance art and interactive art. Problems include among others that performance art is collectively ignored in Swedish newspaper art criticism. This prevents art critics from fair contextualising of contemporary performance art. Down in the rabbit hole, performance by Tris Vonna-Michell and its reception exemplifies these problems. Performance and interactive art seems to be disturbing art critics. Works of art which demands the viewer to take active part in its realisation makes it hard – not to say impossible - to maintain an objective point of wiew. Objectivity has been a condition to be able to judge a work of art since Kant’s theories 1791. In order to isolate all the problems concerning performance art and interactive art, the conditions of contemporary Swedish newspaper art criticism are described. To show that the general conditions and its problems have been discussed earlier, the paper also includes the latest big debate about Swedish art criticism. The paper shows that the problem for art critics to remain objective and independent from the work of art presented is not exclusive for performance and interactive art. It is an emblematic problem for Swedish art criticism 2006. This problem includes economic and careerist opportunities witch makes it hard for Swedish art critics to remain independent.</p>

The paper discusses the problems contemporary Swedish art criticism faces when judging performance art and interactive art. Problems include among others that performance art is collectively ignored in Swedish newspaper art criticism. This prevents art critics from fair contextualising of contemporary performance art. Down in the rabbit hole, performance by Tris Vonna-Michell and its reception exemplifies these problems. Performance and interactive art seems to be disturbing art critics. Works of art which demands the viewer to take active part in its realisation makes it hard – not to say impossible - to maintain an objective point of wiew. Objectivity has been a condition to be able to judge a work of art since Kant’s theories 1791. In order to isolate all the problems concerning performance art and interactive art, the conditions of contemporary Swedish newspaper art criticism are described. To show that the general conditions and its problems have been discussed earlier, the paper also includes the latest big debate about Swedish art criticism. The paper shows that the problem for art critics to remain objective and independent from the work of art presented is not exclusive for performance and interactive art. It is an emblematic problem for Swedish art criticism 2006. This problem includes economic and careerist opportunities witch makes it hard for Swedish art critics to remain independent.