The Painful Body
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ARISTOTLE UNIVERSITY OF THESSALONIKI The Painful Body A Trajectory of Pain through Female Performance Art Maria Tzouni February 2015 A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of American Literature and Culture, School of English, Faculty of Philosophy, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts. The Painful Body: A Trajectory of Pain through Female Performance Art By Maria Tzouni Has been approved February 2015 Approved: ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ Accepted: _____________________________ Department Chairperson For my brother, Themis, my inspirational power Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………….. i Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………….. iv Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………... 1 Chapter One – Performing Pain through Gina Pane’s Bleeding Blades……………………. 17 Chapter Two – Embodying Pain through Marina Abramović’s Engraved Body…………... 33 Chapter Three – Transforming the Body through Orlan’s Surgical Performances…………. 55 Chapter Four – Mediatizing Pain through Lady Gaga’s Fashionable Performances……….. 82 Chapter Five – Vomiting Pain through Millie Brown’s Colorful Rainbows……………… 104 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………… 118 Works Cited……………………………………………………………………………….. 121 Biographical Note ………………………………………………………………………… 133 Abstract Drawn by the fact that performativity and theatricality are found in almost all aspects of everyday life, it is significant to note that no matter how extraordinary, socially accepted or rejected, far-fetched or even exaggerate a piece of performance is, we have to admit that we become witnesses of events of complete theatricality more or less qualified for their artistic value. The performers that I have chosen to focus on in the present thesis re/present their pieces of art by working on their bodies or merely using their bodies as a malleable raw material so as to respond creatively on the sociopolitical challenges of their time. They use their bodies in order to show its limitless potential and provoke their audiences from the perspective that the body is a boundless canvas to process on and express their pieces of art. When the body is disposed of manipulation, when it is cut and penetrated by needles and when it is presented in a rather unnatural way but presented as the norm, then, the audience loses the comfort and the security of being distant from what the spectacle creates. Subsequently, the focus is withdrawn from the stage or screen to avert the gaze from horror. But, the gaze might also be lured by the spectacle as it seeks a way to voyeur the precedent mystified body. Hence, the spectators’ bodies sense the vibrations of the artists’ painful bodies through their act of gazing. When the female body is presented through performance art then it leads its appearance to extreme cases of representation. The female body appears in front of an actual or mediatized audience so as to shock and provoke the spectators’ reactions. The spectators are awakened from their former passivity as mere observers of the theatrical performances to a more active participation in them. The female body, presented in a rather “grotesque” and raw way manages to be spectated as such as it is most of the times concealed, mystified, “sexualized,” or completely eroticized. The female performers that I tend to occupy with in my research come from different cultural backgrounds ranging from the 1960s experimental theatrical performances to today’s representational mediatized popular culture. Gina Pane, the French artist of Italian descent deals with body-cutting when she is inserting blades in her own body. Furthermore, Marina Abramović, the Serbian artist places her body in the center of attention and she tries to objectify the image of the “passive-performer, active spectator” with the intention to reverse balance and subsequently activate the spectators or even stimulate their most vicious and animalistic instincts. Orlan, the French artist, stresses the limits of the female body through surgical cosmetic surgeries as she tries to redefine the notion of female beauty through constant transformations and hybridizations of the self. The next two artists are examples of the next new generation of performer artists. Lady Gaga, the American artist of Italian origin, is both a singer and a performer who knows how to shock her audience with her weird costumes, the haute-couture outfits that even reach monstrosity and sometimes face transformations with prosthetic horns on her forefront that she claimed as actual parts of her physicality. After her collaboration with Marina Abramovic and her influences by Orlan, she has created her own stylistic extreme performativity using media representations. Last but not least, Millie Brown, known as the “vomit artist,” causes almost controlled vomiting to her herself which she subsequently places on white canvases because she intends to create her “colorful” artistic outcomes as parts of an inverted expressivity. The specific artists present and treat the female body in a different, yet provocative way with the need to stress the limits that society and especially the American society along with mass media place on it. To conclude, the inner psychological need to test the body-limits and stress the physical boundaries through painful procedures, beautifying techniques, the incessant quest for youth and newness, and fashion are what the American society demands from the female body. The body perception and representation ideology is presented from a differentiated angle through those artists’ experimentation and recreation. Even if they presented their pieces of performance art in more or less successful ways yet, they manage to challenge audience reception and vision of the body. However, the audiences’ perceptions and reactions seem to vary according to their social backgrounds and will to embrace, reject or even ignore them as forms of performance art. Acknowledgements The decision to attend the graduate program in American Literature and Culture was more than willingness to further my studies on the specific domain; it was a dream that evolved in a love affair. The announcement that I was a part of the program brought me back to Thessaloniki without realizing that it would be an unprecedented experience that would transform me to the one I forgot I was. The demanding schedule, the inspirational professors, and the colleagues; now eternal friends and companions, transformed this 2-year program into a life-changing journey. So, this is my chance to express my sincere gratitude for everything I was generously offered and managed to gain. First and foremost, this journey wouldn’t have been the same without the contribution of my friends’ support; both old and new. My friend Anastasia was one of the first people I met in Thessaloniki in my undergraduate years and ever since she has been a true and loving friend. She kindly disposed her home to accommodate my first year of postgraduate studies. Paulos, was always there for me to support and believe in my aspirations and share his valuable ideas about politics, society, and business. My new M.A colleagues, and friends; the “Termites gang: Demetra, Constantine, Penny, Katerina, Fjoralba, Eve,” and Eleni each and every one separately. They are precious to me. They taught me so much and shared even more. Demetra, my “tairi” and “pc mentor” for transforming me into a pc freak and for being the best partner I could ever imagine. The MESEA Conference in Germany and the Summer School in York University in Toronto, Canada wouldn’t have the same vividness and importance without you. I had the time of my life thanks to you all. Furthermore, I owe my indescribable gratitude to Dr. Savas Patsalidis who supervised my M.A thesis and whose “Avant-Gardism” completely altered my perception about art, performance art, and theater. He was always there to cordially welcome my craziest thoughts and positively consult me in my innumerate questions. Dr. Zoe Detsi, whose political “ideologies” enriched my perception about American ideology and helped me express my critical thinking more overtly. The parental figure of our department; the president of our school, Dr. Yiorgos Kalogeras, whose office was always open and welcoming for us to merely greet him or “bombard” him with our news, thoughts, and fears. He made the MESEA Conference a familiar atmosphere for me. Dr. Tatiani Rapatzikou, whose course on postmodernism liberated my creativity and writing style and made the Summer School at York University a reality. Dr. Domna Pastourmatzi, a professor that is really significant to me as her “Feminisms” brought to the forefront the feminist that lies in me. Dr. Smatie Yemenetzi-Malathouni, who so kindly supported my grotesque “Poe” nature. Dr. Yiouli Theodosiadou, who brought the American South “sweetly” in our sessions. Dr. Emily Bakola, for sharing her cinematic angles. I feel blessed that I was taught by professors who are, on top of everything, charismatic human beings. Also, I would like to express my gratitude to my students who let me make my dream come true and were always willing to change their schedules, work hard, and sustain early and late Saturday and Sunday classes. Last but not least, an immense gratefulness goes to my family who are my stepping stones to my most extravagant beliefs and desires. For making me the person I want to be and letting me liberated with the ultimate grace of personal choice on whatever I deem. That is; my dad, Vaggelis, who woke at four o’clock in the morning on a regular basis so that I can catch the Volos-Thessaloniki bus on time. My mum, Nikoleta, who believes I am the most intelligent and talented person in the world. My brother, Themis, because I always had someone to look up to and admire. Thank you for being there for me. You are my guardian angels. Tzouni 1 Introduction In recent years the contribution of performance art to the academic and artistic field of performance studies has progressively flourished. Performance studies and, more specifically, performance art has gained attention from a wide number of theoreticians, performer artists, scholars, and audiences.