The Insanity Artist 

I feel a bit sad for him. He wanted to show us the effects of time, mindless/endless routine, challenge, and strength. and for that, he sacrificed himself

Photographers paint with light, musicians paint with sounds, and he painted with time

"The day will end, with or without me." This is a phrase I've always used to comfort myself and frankly this man had made me realize why.

it's a shame this man isn't visible to the world. never heard about him.

The time card one is actually an amazing metaphor of the effect of tiring routines like work or school on the human psyche

This is the toughest mindset of someone I’ve seen. Most of us wouldn’t last a day doing this shit

This guy really thought, "How can I make my life infinitely harder and more stressful than it already is?"

It’s remarkable how this guys art projects are some of the most viral RU-vid ideas nowadays. Ahead of his time

His 13 year long art project where he doesn’t ever show anyone his art, that’s almost like most people who create art, music, movies, etc and never show it to anyone. Either they make it for themselves or their very close friends. The art they make then dies off with them. It’s kind of amazing how much art gets created and truly never gets experienced. I have some music up in random places, but I literally have days of music that only I have listened to and probably will never post anywhere. It’s the nature of art I guess? Anyway, that’s what his piece makes me think of.

Can’t believe I’ve never heard of him, someone like him that is willing to go those extremes for the purpose of art deserves a lot more recognition in my opinion.

Why isn’t he talked about in public school art classes. This would have inspired me as a kid. Somthing I can do without actual talent, just sheer will and discipline. Bravo good Sir

He's insane, but I respect his devotion. If he can do these things, he can do just about any conceivable thing he put his mind to.

Bruh after working in retail for so long the time clock piece really hit me hard. The monotony, the repetition, the rat race to always be on time and present or loose ur job. Then again getting fired from a retail job is probably a good thing

Studied this dude in art school, massive respect for him, but the dude's crazy lmao

He’s definitely not crazy. Just reflecting on things in our society. Honestly beautiful.

How ironic someone who was so fascinated with time was born on New Year’s Eve.

He's not only into art , he is also into pain.

His friends that helped him also deserve equal credit, taking his toilet and cleaning it, and bringing him food everyday is something unreal dedication to the project, or they are paid weekly from a preset account that pays them weekly in order for them not to get all thw money at once and run off

To me a huge part of his performances is hope. The hope that with enough time, even the most gruesome situations can be overcome, as long as you are persistent. It's an homage to the strength we possess and to the eerie quality of time, that is stronger than any hardship.

Finally someone big made a video about this guy holy shit I remember going to a multi-artist exhibit back in 2013-2014 and watching the punch-clock performance by Hsieh not knowing what was going on and reading about it afterwards. My mind was blown away after reading about what was going on in that performance and several others he performed, and it was pretty much what brought my interest in performance art And if I can remember correctly, they were also exhibiting the very own punch-clock he used in the piece

That time clock piece still makes me cry my eyes out. When I think about the years I put into meaningless commitments. Whether it be jobs, college, and friends/relationships. I missed out on a lot of precious valuable time I could’ve used to create something. Or go somewhere different.

I really wanna see his hidden art

He hasn't wasted a single second, yet used every moment as a step towards his goal. Tehching Hsieh was growing in his own and unique way. In all he did, many think was imprisonment, but he truly was free.

I'm starting to learn that art isn't something real that exists out there, it's in the eyes of the people that look at/for it. Hard thing to accept.

I see a very disciplined man. I'm envious of his ablity in self control. imaginen with will that strong and all you want to do is to learn or train or studying. what a beast of a human.

Usually hate performance art but this was beautiful and inspiring

My first real job was as an art monitor in a huge exhibition called 29st Bienal of São Paulo, in Brazil. There were almost a thousand art pieces being exhibit, and one of the rooms was of Sam's clock piece, with all the pictures he took and some records of the work. I remember seeing it and being astonished by the concept and the strenght he had to put into it!

The time clock thing is absolutely absurd. Being in the jail cell for one year without any entertainment or media is one thing. But practically doing the same thing without being able to sleep for more than 1 hour is crazy, that had to have been hard to not zonk out for 24 hours. Interesting guy.

I think my interpretation of his art would have to be exposing the apathetic nature of Time itself. Showing regardless of whats happening wether it be suffering or pleasure to oneself or the world Time will forever be moving regardless.

this is probably one of my new favorite artists. I can’t that in three years of arts school they had not told us about this amazing person and his work, which happens to be his life

I've been working a piece for around 28 years now, breathing 22000 times a day. It's my crowning achievement as an artist.

Honestly, probably the greatest artist of all time. Because it's simply not possible to be more dedicated or stronger-minded than him. He was a warrior and fought with everything he had for his pieces. I've only heard 13 minutes of infortmation of him and have studied many great artists, but already know this will be the most impressive artist I'll ever know of.

Sam has to be the most interesting man I never heard of. Thanks for sharing his story!

I see his art as the discipline to conform to systems that consume time.

this guy was a modern art version of an endurance artist. But a good one considering he's what some consider a modern art type of guy

Thank you for this. I’ve never heard of this artist. It takes a special kind of human being to go through what this guy went through. His art has taught us many lessons.

I'm certain most your viewers (including me) would have never heard of him if it wasn't for your video. Nice coverage

His hair grew down past his shoulders in only a year on the timecard one. Thats pretty insane too since he was probably malnourished

It’s interesting that his work contains normal human conditions of mostly everybody but pushed to the extreme. The time card, the actually being tethered to a single person, these are boiling what it means to work your whole life, and to be married to to literal expressions.

The punch card piece hit home differently for me. Back in my early 20s, I took a job at a bread factory. It churned out thousands of buns and loaves every day, around the clock. It was a great-paying job for someone my age, and it employed numerous other college students. The catch was that it involved some hefty overtime and a graveyard schedule. It was also mind-numbingly monotonous. No windows, and boiling hot in the summer. Anyway, we also punched in with time cards. The combination of meticulous clocking in and out and being extremely sleep-deprived all the time was absolute hell.

The coolest artist ever, the dedication he really lived his life CREATING ART, lived, breathed , sleep art ! Amazing.

The discipline it must have taken to do that time clock piece is incredible. I hope he got time and a half for all that overtime.

im glad im subscribed to u. this video genuinely touched me, especially after reading the comment "painters paint with light, musicians paint with sound, he paints with time"

I have so much respect for the amount of dedication of this artist to his art is truly remarkable and beautiful.

The deep compassion of this man humbles me. I was homeless on the streets of NYC for a few years. Very few of the people who see this video or read those words will know what I mean by this. The things they take for granted are endless is scope and implication. We're better than this. Insanity artist is brute inaccuracy.

The time punching one It wasn’t until I actually realised that he couldn’t sleep for more than an hour so he could clock on each time, just how much pure and utter fucking insanity it really is

the punch in clock one is absolutely amazing, i always thought if there was someone who would dedicate a year of their life to Art or a performance as such. Glad I finally watched this vid, ty for sharing.

I often scoff at "High" art and performance pieces, because most are pretentious and trying too hard to say something. However, on the contrary, Mr. Tehching Hsieh, he's brilliant, he is not trying to say something, he literally BECOMES that something at will. To me that is the point of art, it's not just expression or sending a message, but creating that thing you feel, envision or know and making it a real thing at will. He's a genius in my opinion.

I've recently undergone my own revitalization as an artist. This was truly inspiring! Thank you so much for putting this video together. This may have honestly changed my life. Truly thank you.

I love performance art. Especially extreme performance art. My buddy was just telling about some Russian performance artist who nailed himself to the red square, so the cops would have to interact with him to free him from being nailed to the ground.

You know what is the most insane thing about this guy? It's that he's still alive!

I appreciate the tempo and tone of your narration - easy to pay attention to and follow. Awesome video!

I don't even have enough discipline to sit through this entire video.

This art piece spoke to me on I level I was not expecting AT ALL. Thanks for covering this! What an interesting person he is and his art for sure makes you think!

This man's self discipline is unreal 👏

Teh Ching Hsieh came to Singapore a few years ago and I got him to sign my book! He is a MASTER in performance arts, Time and Body is his material! One of the most amazing artist of our generation!

Not sure how this showed up on my feed, but I'm glad it did. What an interesting person. His work begs a lot of questions and is truly fascinating.

That time clock piece... Talk about commitment. I assumed he would be a raving lunatic, but he seems pretty articulate and coherent. I don't know how anyone could do that.

This guy is so outrageously interesting. And dedicated. Holy fuck.

I’m not into art, only know big names, but after all this guy has done for art. How is he not more heard of/spoken about. This is insane and I couldn’t imagine doing what he did

The way he got to America is one of the most badass things I've ever heard.

How have I not heard about this guy? His art projects are like nightmare situations I would conceptualize while tripping on LSD.

Amazing .The mental Strength and fortitude of his soul these acts must have required of him .Truly a powerful example of what can be done when you set your mind to it .I was actually expecting a morbid ending for him but it was good to see he survived it

This is very interesting. I've never heard of the guy but can relate. In 2015 I decided to do ten kickflips on my skateboard each day for the entire year while taking video of each one. Despite various weather conditions, lots of soreness, broken skateboards, and even some other personal dilemmas, I managed to complete the challenge. There was absolutely no reason to do it other than simply wanting to. The best part was all the skating I did after the daily kickflips. Looking at what this guy in the video did I feel like I got off easy.

Your channel is fantastic, keep looking for interesting stories that most of us have not heard about!

I can thoroughly relate to his sleep deprivation and where the narrator describes him as 'looking defeated'. I've experienced various episodes of sleep deprivation where I've had little or no sleep and it really takes a toll on you. My last episode was several years ago where I experienced 7 months with little or no sleep and at the end of it, I was just done. A person I was interacting with on the last day said I just went blank for several minutes and I didn't even realise that. It's like getting the life slowly sucked out of you and it makes you feel older than you actually are. It's not recommended either as it left me paranoid, delusional, agoraphobic, claustrophobic and in a state of anxiety.

I love your videos on contemporary art!

Fascinating, thank you for making this 🙏

Thanks for the great video, as always! Love to see how much your channel has grown over the years. Seriously can't believe I have never heard of this guy! Makes you wonder how many other people have done art like this

This artist and video actually makes me appreciate performance art a million times more than I did before

This one's my favorite, and I've watched a few. Thanks!

I wonder how he was able to do the time piece? Like who supplied the clock and let him chill there for a year? What a masterpiece and a genius. Amazing

Go to america with nothing, tortures himself for 5 years straight, leaves art scene, refuses to elaborate further

This was fascinating. Thanks for sharing his story. Truley remarkable how many interesting and different thinking people there are in this world.

I would watch a movie about this guy’s pieces. The raw experiences he accumulated through these must’ve been astounding

Love this guy. My life completely fell apart a few years ago. Have turned into a shell of the man I used to be, and my ability to care is gone. Last year I challenged myself to walk for 24 hours straight. The hardest part lies in its simplicity. Just keep moving. After hour 12 I was crying, but after hour 20, I felt no pain.

I see true art as determination, discipline, and commitment. And boy, oh boy, this man has done it like no one else I know! Bravo!

As somebody who "studied" (and spend much time doing and reading about) art at an Art Academy, I can tell, this guy is dedicated and has everything an artist should have from the personality standpoint... Him torturing himself just to get an art piece done is really insane... I could never be such a good artist. Respect.

Sorta reminds me of that art exhibit where the machine has to keep sweeping oil into itself or it will die. When it first started it would do little happy dances but its got to the point where all it can do is keep sweeping.

RESPECT FOR HIS DEDICATION. HE LIVED THE ART. NEXT LEVEL

"I can only imagine the mental fatigue-" Nah bro. This is some kind of ascended being. He's not performing magic, but he's as dedicated to his craft as someone like David Blaine. To get used to some of the things he put himself through is not something I would want to do.

Wow. Just wow. I don't even have words to describe this. Just thinking about spending a whole year without being able to talk to the people I love and care about... This is truly the definition of art

Insane and absolutely awesome/gruesome. I do not know what to feel about the time clock piece. The commitment is beyond everything I can imagine. Thanks for this video, otherwise I would have never heard of Tehching Hsieh.

What an interesting individual.. Thank you for uploading this. What a breath of fresh air...

This made me see performance art in an entirely different light. Thanks for sharing his story.

I just love it when someone just pointing me there's a little to known artist out there, thanks man....

when "THE ROPE PIECE" appeared on the screen I was like "oh shit he actually did it"

A very inspiring man! Everything is Art! It just depends who is viewing it. The world we live in is so beautiful...we just need to slow down, take part in it and appreciate it!

This is mind blowing 😳 Never heard of him

Very interesting story here man. Great job. Never heard of this guy before.

this video is so crazy i had to watch it for the second time after a year

I love this quite a lot. His art to me sums up to existentialism. Being able to, capable of existing. Existentialism is in direct correlation with time. If you have time, you exist. If you have no time, you do not exist. You are able. He was able.

I'm reminded in a way of Henry Darger the Chicago artist (writer, collagist, painter, principally known for his most famous creation, The Vivian Girls). Even though their mode of expression was _quite_ different, both were as committed to their art as they were to breathing, and neither seemed to care a jot for fame or recognition; in fact Darger's work might have been lost to the world _entirely,_ had his landlord not realised it's importance when he discovered the huge body of work in Darger's flat around the time of his death. Darger's work, much of it revolving around an epic saga of children rebelling against their enslavement, in a fantastic version of Earth which is all the more unsettling for its (and _his_ ) apparent innocence. His work is today celebrated as perhaps a quintessential example of 'outsider art', and examples of his work change hands for six figure sums on the rare occasions that they come up for auction. Both artists eschewed publicity, Sam Tsieh seemingly satisfied that his work simply be _witnessed_ in order to be validated; in his later work, it would seem, he came to see even _this_ as an unnecessarily bourgeois and self - indulgent quality!

wow what an amazing world we live in . “The Rope” is my favorite thanks so much I love this channel!

i wish this went more into how these performances affected him mentally. im sure its because he doesnt talk about that much, but its very interesting to think about, i can only imagine how much those first two especially would affect you psychologically, maybe permanently. great video.

This isn’t art, more mental endurance

Really amazing! I’ve never heard of him but wow! Great video!

I don't even have words to describe how I feel about this I think this guy might be my favourite artist now

Congrats on 1m veiws on this video bud, proud of you. Insightful vid

this is incredible. thank you for sharing his story