Monty Cantsin Sold at Auction Prices

b. 1978 -

Monty Cantsin is a multiple-use name that anyone can adopt, but has close ties to Neoism. Monty Cantsin was originally conceived as an "open pop star." In a philosophy anticipating that of free software and open source, anyone could perform in his name and thus contribute to and participate in his fame and achievements.

Zack called upon his correspondents to adopt the name Monty Cantsin. His suggestion was taken up in 1979 by the Hungarian-Canadian performance artist Istvan Kantor, who amalgamated the name into Neoism.[1] As the shared identity of all Neoists, Monty Cantsin was transformed from a "pop star" to a radical identity experiment occupying the everyday life of Neoists and culminating in frequently extremist ways at Neoist Apartment Festivals ("APTs"). The "open pop star" concept lived on in a series of electropop and industrial music albums and performances of, mainly, Istvan Kantor.