An overview of key ideas about the body in contemporary art

1. KVB127 Visual Art Open Studio 2
Week 5: The Body

2. Robertson, J., & McDaniel, C. (2017). Themes of contemporary
art: Visual art after 1980 (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
The Body
• Beauty and Grotesque
• Performance
• Sexualised - The Gaze: (Lacan and Mulvey)
• Posthuman
Other texts:
• Beech, D. (2009). Beauty. Whitechapel.
• Bishop, C. (2006). Participation. Whitechapel.
• Jones, A., & Warr, T. (2000). The artist’s body: Themes and
motives. Phaidon.

3. The Body
• Gender
• Class
• Race
• Culture
• Sexual orientation
• Generation/age
• Language
• Religion
• Political
• Ethics/Morality
• Social position
• Marital status
• Geography/country
• Suburb-City-State-Nation-Regio
AND..
• ..let’s remember that identifying as an artist
brings with it a complex
history/protocols/tropes…
Adrian PIPER | Catalysis III, IV 1970

4. Venus of Willendorf; c. 28,000 BP
(the Gravettian period); limestone with ochre
coloring; Naturhistorisches Museum (Vienna,
Austria)
Tassel Gwion Gwion Figures; c.17,500 -5000 BP
Drysdale National Park, Photo: BAC & Mark Jones

5. Antony GORMLEY (British b. 1950)
Still Standing 2011
Intervention, Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

6. Wangechi MUTU
(Kenyan-American, b.1972)
Lizard Love, 2010
Installation view, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, 2013

7. Sarah LUCAS
Honey Pie
Exhibition view, Sadie Coles HQ, London, 2020
Jenny SAVILLE
Fulcrum, 1998–99
oil on canvas, 2.6×4.8 m

8. REBECCA HORN
(German b.1944)
left: Arm Extensions, 1970
right: Finger Gloves, 1972

9. Hannah BRONTE
(Wakka Wakka/Yaegal b. 1991)
Heala, 2018
Mixed media installation with video

10. Ah XIAN
(Chinese-Australian, b. 1960)
China China - Bust, 2002 and Serenity: Self portrait, Hamilton Gallery, Vic, 2016

11. James LUNA
(Payómkawichum, Ipi, and Mexican-American, 1950-2018)
The Artifact Piece, 1987
live performance

12. Hannah WILKE
(American 1940-1993)
Laundry Lint, C.O.’s 1974 Lint, various colors
Untitled from S.O.S. Starification Object Series, 1974 (17.1 x 11.4 cm)

13. MARINA ABRAMOVIC
(Yugoslavian b.1946)
Expanding in Space 1977

14. Ann HAMILTON
(American b.1956)
Event of a Thread 2012

15. Levi van VELUW
(Dutch, b.1985)
Family 2012
3.54 min | loop | full HD

16. Megan ARCHER
(New Zealand, b.1988)
Digital Bodies, 2018
Oil on canvas | c.100x100cm
Moon RIBAS (Spanish b 1985)
and Neil HARBISSON (British-Irish b.1984)

17. Week 5 Reflection
Prepare for class by reviewing the resources in the Week 5 folder
and considering the following questions:
•What kind of body is being proposed by each work? Does it refer
to the iconic body or the material body?
•Are essentialist notions of bodily identity being challenged or
fostered by the work?
•What kinds of feeling (affects) are being conveyed or elicited by
the work?
Make notes in your blog and bring your observations and
questions to class.
Sarah LUCAS
Honey Pie
Exhibition view, Sadie Coles HQ, London,
2020

18. 1.2 ACTING UP (In-class Task)
In pairs, devise and present a 1-minute
performance action in response to an
allocated term from the following list:
TENSION - CONCENTRATION - ESCAPE -
AVOIDANCE - CONNECTION - REJECTION -
RECORD - FORCE - INFLUENCE – UNITY
Hannah BRONTE
(Wakka Wakka/Yaegal b. 1991)
Heala, 2018
Mixed media installation with video

19. 2.3 BODYWORK (Independent Task)
Produce a work (or works) derived from a
bodily action. The works should not depict
your body, but rather embody its physical
qualities of movement, proportion,
materiality, form.
Feedback Session: Week 6 Class
Hannah BRONTE
(Wakka Wakka/Yaegal b. 1991)
Heala, 2018
Mixed media installation with video

20. Cheryl DONEGAN
(American b.1962)
Head 1993
Video | 3:00 | loop