Activity 1.4- Blood and Bodily Fluids

-

 

Bodily fluids have been used in artistic practices for centuries. Some of the earliest known artworks used pigments mixed with animal blood or saliva as binding agents, and blood has been used in a symbolic way in depictions of rituals, sacrifices and war. Civilizations such as the Aztecs even created elaborate vessels to hold the blood collected during sacrifices. While these practices often emerged from necessity or because of religious beliefs, the use of bodily fluids in art has taken on new meanings in recent years.

In modern and contemporary art, the use of materials such as blood, spit, urine, and sweat, among others, has become increasingly visible. These substances are often used for their ability to provoke strong reactions. In a world crowded with artists and artworks, unconventional materials like these can serve as a strategy to command attention, spark controversy and shift the narrative toward the work.

Artists, especially women artists, have begun using menstrual blood as a form of rebellion and bodily autonomy in their art works. Christen Clifford created a work of art in response to Yves Klein and his artworks using the nude female body as his paintbrushes. In her work, I Want Your Blood: Menstrual Symphony, Clifford made a statement against the objectification of women’s bodies by collecting menstrual blood and then covering three nude male bodies. Other artists similarly use menstrual blood to reject the notion that menstruation is impure, shameful, or a sign of weakness, reframing it instead as a source of strength.

While using bodily fluids can be seen as grotesque or unsanitary, some artists are using it to show the physical investment artists put into their work. Alice Potts, for example, has developed a technique for growing crystals from human sweat and incorporating them into sculptural works. In her series, Perspire, Potts shows the literal sweat and hard work that goes into art forms like ballet, transforming what is often invisible to the viewer into something beautiful.

 

Sources

Daeppen, K. (2024, June 10). Blood in (and as) art. DailyArt Magazine. https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/blood-in-as-art/

Freeland, C. (2003). Art Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.

Low, J. (2023, December 28). Body fluids in art: Spit and sweat

Sierzputowski, K. (2018, August 3). Crystallized ballet slippers and soccer cleats by Alice Potts. Colossal. https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2018/08/crystalized-ballet-slippers-and-soccer-cleats-by-alice-potts/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Activity 1.3- Taste and Beauty

-
Image
      HUME Hume believed that taste was subjective. That each person’s individual taste came from a variety of sources. We have all had different personal experiences throughout life, we have different cultures, backgrounds, and education. This leads us to have different preferences, different levels of emotional sensitivity and different prejudices. When we are all so varied, how could we ever hope to have the same preference in what the standard of taste should be. Hume stated that while taste is subjective, he does believe that there are some chosen few of us who have the qualities needed to judge taste. These people possess certain abilities, those being, the ability to notice subtleties, exposure to many works of art, the ability to compare works, impartiality, and a general good sense.   The question arises then of who is judging the judges? Who gets to decide who the chosen few are? A question that arose when I was pondering Hume and his work, is how...
Read more

Activity 1.5 - Shock in Contemporary Art

-
Image
  For most of the history of art, artists created their works primarily for others. Their work served clear purpose, external to their own creative process. They made works recording historical events, adorning public spaces, completing works for paying patrons, or competing in public exhibitions. These systems were not only cultural but also economic. Creating for audiences, like patrons, was how they made and secured their livelihood. Over time, however, a shift started to emerge. Art increasingly became valued for its own sake, and artists gained more freedom to experiment with what and how they created. They could choose the subjects, explore personal interests and experiment outside the pressure of a patron’s expectations. Yet, even with this newfound freedom, a familiar pressure still existed: their work still needed to be marketable. Creative freedom expanded, but it continued to coexist with the reality of the pressure of producing art that could be bought. When we talk abo...
Read more