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Embodied Representations in Contemporary Art

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Embodied Representations in Contemporary Art Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 5-3-2017 12:00 AM Skin Portraiture: Embodied Representations in Contemporary Art Heidi Kellett The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Joy James The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Visual Arts A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Heidi Kellett 2017 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Contemporary Art Commons Recommended Citation Kellett, Heidi, "Skin Portraiture: Embodied Representations in Contemporary Art" (2017). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 4567. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4567 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract In recent years, human skin has been explored as a medium, metaphor, and milieu. Images of and objects made from skin flesh out the critical role it plays in experiences of embodiment such as reflexivity, empathy, and relationality, expanding conceptions of difference. This project problematizes the correlation between the appearance of the epidermis and a person’s identity. By depicting the subject as magnified, fragmented, anatomized patches of skin, “skin portraiture”—a sub-genre of portraiture I have coined—questions what a portrait is and what it can achieve in contemporary art. By circumnavigating and obfuscating the subject’s face, skin portraiture perforates the boundaries and collapses the distance between bodies. Feminist, this project pays attention to skin portraits made by women. To better understand skin, each chapter is focused on a particular skin metaphor. In the preface, a consideration of skin and its representation leads into an investigation of the skin-as-self metaphor in the introduction (chapter one). Framing the skin as an organ we dwell in, the skin-as-home metaphor (chapter two) explores touch and its role in experiences of empathy. Turning to the idea that skin is a garment, the skin-as-clothing metaphor (chapter three) fleshes out relationality and a queering of skin. Tackling race and skin colour, the skin- as-screen metaphor (chapter four) investigates the embodied experiences of mixed-raced, multicultural women. Addressing a loss of difference at the level of skin within bioengineering, the skin-as-technology metaphor (chapter five) considers the collapse of differences between bodies and species within bio-art. Keywords Skin, Portraiture, Embodiment, Reflexivity, Empathy, Relationality, Difference, Identity, Feminism, Touch Acknowledgments Over the last four years, what I have reflected on most is my grandfather, Gerald Statham. My fascination with all things skin is a result of his tattoos, which he earned overseas during the Korean War. Ranging from a large eagle inked across the breadth of his chest, to a snake on his leg, to a pin-up girl on his arm, amongst others, Gerald’s tattoos marked him as a rebel. By the time I encountered these tattoos as a little girl, they had oxidized and “bled out” across his skin, which gave them the illusion of being “soft” and “fuzzy.” In turn, tattoos make me nostalgic and sentimental, which is why I do not do them justice within the pages contained herein. I am grateful to the Department of Visual Arts at Western University for supporting my intellectual growth. For making the administrative aspects of the doctoral degree a pleasure, I thank Paula Dias. For providing me funding to complete my research, I am indebted to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at Western, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for a generous Doctoral Fellowship. I also thank the Faculty of the Humanities at Western for the extensive travel funding awarded through the Graduate Research Fund, which enriched my professional development. My progress in the doctoral program is owed to my committee. To Professor Kirsty Robertson, your mentorship and guidance has been greatly appreciated. Thank you for looking out for me. To Professor Joel Faflak, your sense of humor, generous support, and editorial elegance played an uplifting role in the completion of this project. For all the critical feedback, I am forever in your debt. To my primary supervisor, Professor Joy James, I can never express my gratitude to you for being one of the most thoughtful, critical, and supportive supervisors. You have acted as a constant source of energy, pushing my obsession with skin to a place of fullness. If it were not for your words of encouragement and understanding, I would not have finished this project. It has been a privilege to work with you. I would not have been able to complete this doctoral research project without the support of the women in my life. My grandmother, Juanita Kellett, has been a feminist role ii model, friend, and confidant for as long as I can remember. You are always in my back pocket when faced with difficult decisions. My mother, Heather Kellett, has supported my passions without falter. Your perseverance, resourcefulness, and sarcasm have made me the person I am today. My aunt, Connie Zolotar, is the most selfless, kind, and giving person I have ever met. Thank you for all the lunch dates. Lastly, to those closest to me, I am forever in your debt. My “squirrel friends,” Stephanie Anderson, Jean-Marc Bourque, Ljiljiana Brusic, Dave Kemp, Avril McMeekin, Stephanie Radu, and Kathryn Simpson, you inspire me daily with your generosity of spirit and many acts of kindness. To my editor, Avril McMeekin, if it were not for your insightful suggestions, I surely would not have pushed through—you are a wizard of words and prose. To my feline darlings, Siris, Neptune, and Yasha, your heightened sensuality and companionship has influenced these pages. Lastly, if it were not for the love, patience, and kindness of my partner-in-crime, Paul Coxson, I would be utterly lost. Thank you for our family. To everyone else I have not mentioned, thank you for being there over the years. iii Table of Contents Abstract................................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents............................................................................................................... iv List of Figures.................................................................................................................... vi Preface................................................................................................................................. x Chapter 1............................................................................................................................. 1 1 « Skin Portraiture: An Introduction » ............................................................................ 1 1.1 « Portraiture Now »................................................................................................. 5 1.2 « Skin Portraiture: A Definition »........................................................................... 9 1.3 « Early Iterations of Skin Portraiture: Nineteenth-century Dermatology and Contemporary Art ................................................................................................. 12 1.4 « Skin Metaphors » ............................................................................................... 24 1.5 « Skin » ................................................................................................................. 27 1.6 « Skin-as-Self »..................................................................................................... 30 Chapter 2........................................................................................................................... 39 2 « Skin-as-Home »......................................................................................................... 39 2.1 « Dwelling In Skin »............................................................................................. 43 2.2 « Architecture Metaphors: House and Home »..................................................... 49 2.3 « Empathic Skins: Touch and Haptics »............................................................... 53 2.4 « Feminine Touch and Women’s Work »............................................................. 65 2.5 « Haut Craftwork: Crafting with Human Skin » .................................................. 74 2.6 « Touching Skins: Jessica Harrison » ................................................................... 81 2.7 « Conclusion » ...................................................................................................... 94 Chapter 3........................................................................................................................... 96 iv 3 « Skin-as-Clothing » .................................................................................................... 96 3.1 « Wearing Skin, Queering Identity » .................................................................. 101 3.2 « Skin-as-Clothing » ........................................................................................... 111 3.3 « Haut Couture: Sewing
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