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 |
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| 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] |  |
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| 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 |
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Human milk | |
| Marc Quinn | Self | 1991, recast 1996 | A frozen cast of the artist's head made entirely of his own blood | |
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| 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) | |
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| Hermann Nitsch | Das Orgien Mysterien Theater | 1962–1998 | Uses urine, feces, blood and more in their ritual performances | |
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| Marcel Duchamp | Paysage fautif ("Faulty Landscape") | 1946 | |
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| 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 |
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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
External links
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Notes
- ^ "Oxidations & Abstractions". Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- ^ "Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA)". Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
- ^ Zhou, Yan (2015-03-11). Odyssey of Culture: Wenda Gu and His Art. Springer. ISBN 9783662454114.
- ^ Fusco, Coco (Fall 1991). "Shooting the Klan: An Interview with Andres Serrano". Community Arts Network. CommunityArtsNework.
- ^ "International Air Transit Association page on DGR (Dangerous Goods Regulations)". Retrieved 2011-08-05.
- ^ "http://www.artnewsblog.com/2005/03/blood-art.htm".
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