Body fluids in art

An occasional trend in contemporary art is to use body fluids as a medium in art. Examples include:

Artist Title Year Description Urine Blood Vomit Semen Other Notes
Andy Warhol Oxidations series 1977 Invited friends to urinate onto a canvas of metallic copper pigments, so that the uric acid would oxidize into abstract patterns.[1]
Andres Serrano Piss Christ and various other works 1987 Piss Christ, a controversial photograph of a crucifix submerged in urine
Various other photos featuring the use of urine, feces, blood, semen and human milk		 Human milk
Marc Quinn Self 1991, recast 1996 A frozen cast of the artist's head made entirely of his own blood
Helen Chadwick Piss Flowers 1991–92 Twelve white-enameled bronzes cast from cavities made by urinating in snow (though this might not be characterized as the use of bodily fluids in art, just their use in preparation)
Hermann Nitsch Das Orgien Mysterien Theater 1962–1998 Uses urine, feces, blood and more in their ritual performances
Marcel DuchampPaysage fautif ("Faulty Landscape") 1946
Stelarc and Nina Sellars Blender 2005-2016 The artists mixed their lipids inside a sealed, air-powered machine.[2] Lipids
Gu Wenda Oedipus Refound 1989 Various fluids[3]

Criticism and difficulties

Depicting objects of popular respect (religious subjects, flags, etc.) in art which includes body fluids can trigger public protests due to such material's historic association with dirtiness. The outcry about the Piss Christ photo is an example.[4]

In addition to the obvious difficulties of preserving perishable material, there can be regulations complicating transport by rail, truck, or aircraft of liquid body fluids due to the fluids' possible classification as dangerous goods.[5] Postal or transportation-security authorities might consider blood, spittle, excrement, etc., to be bio-hazardous substances.

The sale of blood art via eBay is prohibited as eBay prohibits the sale of body parts, and classifies blood art as falling under this heading.[6]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Oxidations & Abstractions". Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  2. ↑ "Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA)". Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
  3. ↑ Zhou, Yan (2015-03-11). Odyssey of Culture: Wenda Gu and His Art. Springer. ISBN 9783662454114.
  4. ↑ Fusco, Coco (Fall 1991). "Shooting the Klan: An Interview with Andres Serrano". Community Arts Network. CommunityArtsNework.
  5. ↑ "International Air Transit Association page on DGR (Dangerous Goods Regulations)". Retrieved 2011-08-05.
  6. ↑ "http://www.artnewsblog.com/2005/03/blood-art.htm". External link in |title= (help)


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