Saturday, November 28, 2009

Lauren Kalman













Lauren Kalman is an odd little bird. She creates art for the body by applying bejeweled accupuncture needles to her skin to look like dazzling rashes, blemishes or other skin conditions. Using her own body as her primary focal point, the work has an element of performance. The photographic record of the work is only for the viewer that is unable to see it in person- it is intended to be seen on the body. Now, I'm pretty sure accupuncture is supposed to be painless, but if you look close in some of the photographs you can see the redness and irritation surrounding the jewelry.

Although I'm still a little confused as to why anyone would want to recreate such conditions as Herpes or Syphilis, I'm intrigued by Kalman's juxtaposition of the beautiful and the unsightly. She refers to her work as "transgressions of the body." I like the fact that she's bedazzling things that we would normally think of as disgusting and try to cover up. And in doing this, she's calling into question both why we have a natural aversion to these things, and why making them sparkly makes them more beautiful.


One writer Gabriel Craig stated that " By beginning with actual bodily experience and moving back to the self-image, Kalman places the primary importance on the body, thereby challenging how we relate to our bodies in an image-dominated culture." I'm intrigued by this reverse process of dealing with jewelry and bodily adornment.

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