The Abject Body

Abject – Absolute, Miserable, Scummy, Hopeless, Unfortunate, Dismal, Horrible

Abject body – Brutality within humanity, Illness and disease, Prejudice degrading,

The visual images of an abject body are often displayed through social documentary in the form of addiction or illness. The critic Julia Kristeva explains what the physical reaction to abject is what we are repulsed by. We hide death and separate ourselves from it as much as we can regardless that it is part of us, I see this as a preservation instinct. Why do we put ourselves through watching or seeing things that are so horrifying?

I think the crucifixion scene is something important but is better shown with the cross, a symbol which is not sickening. I feel the pain, torture and death is inappropriate and scares people instead of strengthening their beliefs.

Documentary of war and death has often caused a problem to the artists and their audience. It is the Ethical issues of the necessity to distance yourself and not intervene to help. I understand this but feel it is important to record the brutality of human behaviour. However, I am uncomfortable with the thought that Artists are often mentally affected from documenting death and immense suffering.

Having agreed how strange it is that we put ourselves in abject situations, I have done this myself in a visit to Auswitch. The difference in this is what I saw was the ghostly scene of what is left instead of the actual death and bodies. Meeting two survivors of this terrible event just enforced how real it was. I found the hardest part was seeing the gas chambers, the collection of shoes, hair and belongings, this was so shocking but I still feel it was a crucial experience which I do not regret.

“Arbeit macht frei” (literally “work makes free”)

 

The Ego and the ID

Who are you? Artists create work which represents their idea of individuality.

What makes you who you are? I think describing myself much more difficult than explaining what I do.

Are you who you can be or should? I find it important to be the best you can but not just what is expected of you. The change in modern life alters people’s opinions of themselves. The influences and impressions outside your own life can change you.

Public Life

Andy Warhol has iconic figures in his work that are mundane rather than divine characters, mostly from films and TV. This work is only the surface of these people with no explanation of the personality behind it. For example Marilyn Monroe is in his work with a technique of screen printing as is used in mass production, this series of repeated images fading out can symbolize her short lived fame which is becoming forgotten over time.  Cindy Sherman is a quirky character and is the subject of most her portrait photography, these images have no theory behind them and are purely what she wanted to do. Consequence of this her work, that showed no elegance or lady like imagery, became very popular with a feminist audience, it was breaking away from the art made for the male gaze. Cindy was uncomfortable with her success and did not want her work to be so popular, this caused her to do something different and shock people again.

Private Life

The intimate life and personality displayed through art. Things that are very private put out for other people’s opinions, big brother is an example of this having every minute of their life recorded and broadcast. Another I find very perplexing is Embarrassing bodies when people put their bodies to the public eye being completely exposed and without comfort. Tracy Emin has such personal work which shows her exceptionally personal life that she is proud of. She has very strong feelings that she has no repression of expressing, this makes her personality quite self-indulgent.

Scientific Selves

In art a record of a person can be shown through a Portrait of DNA, images of cells, x-rays and iris photographs. This work is the literal inner self but gives no idea of the person behind it. Gabriel de la Mora has used human hair from a person which is then depicted into a shape, a skull or thumbprint, which is also a representation of the literal person.

What Do You Think About Suburbia?

My impression of suburbia is a more upper class living area on the outskirts of a city, it is defiantly more prominent in American Society. I imagine scenes of neatly trimmed hedge rows around the modern detached houses. People living in these areas would be seen as small, quite wealthy families who are neatly dressed and potentially pretentious. These communities would hold education highly important along with their families’ appearance and the opinion of their neighbours  I think of the typical housewife, aspiring to be perfect, carrying out the mundane tasks of cooking and cleaning whilst the working man possesses all the control.