The Body (chapter 3)

This past week in class we’ve discussed the body and its relationship to art. Our bodies have a large impact on who we are as individuals and how we go about making art. The body can inspire one’s work, but it also determines the limits of the artist.

Many performance art pieces deal with the body.  Janine Antoni’s piece “Loving Care” was one that caught my attention.  She challenges the male dominated art world with her piece that utilizes her female body. In particular, she uses her long hair as a paintbrush.  Another of Janine Antoni’s performance pieces intrigued me.  It was called “To Draw a Line.” The piece was completely based around the limits of her body.  Her physical ability to walk on a tightrope was put under critical attention as she walked across a tightrope made of hemp suspended on two large spools.  This was a test of the body and her ability.  I think art that tests the limits of the body is very interesting, though I don’t know if I could physically put myself through those pieces. 

Chris Burden is an artist who deals with this concept.  He has done many pieces testing his physical limits, though many of them are painful and dangerous.  This is one aspect of performance and body art that does not appeal as much to me.  When someone puts themselves in such danger, I find it unappealing.  One such piece by Chris Burden was called “Through the Night Softly” where he tied his hand behind his back and crawled across broken glass.  He’s also done several pieces where he stayed in the gallery for days at a time and didn’t move, testing how long he could physically survive or how long until someone else stepped in to help.  While these are very intriguing pieces, as an artist I could never do them.  Art involving the body is wide and varied, but this is one avenue that intrigues me.

While the body has not heavily influenced my personal work there are some aspects of it that relate.  For example, when I create art about my stuttering, I often address the physical feeling and experience of stuttering, which influences my body and it's limits.  I address the event, and what it feels like, which is inherent in the body and my experience of it. Also, in order to create art we must use our bodies.  Whenever I create a sculpture piece for example, it is influenced and changed because of my physical limitations and the tools I use.  In these ways, the body is a relevant theme when discussing my work.