Representation of the Body and Gender Identity in Art

Art has evolved throughout history to become one of the most important components of our culture. A human being can experience important parts of life that cannot be adequately expressed in words through the medium of art. Aside from that, art serves as the most important and vital record of every society. As a result, the value of art cannot be understated. Various forms of art represent a variety of essential facets of our civilization (Rubin). The portrayal of the body and gender identity in art is one of the aspects. In this category, pieces of art are used to represent body as well as gender identity. Two of the arts that belong to this category are Orlan’s performance art and Maori Moko’s tattoos. In this regard, the following paper seeks to and compare Orlan’s performance art and Maori Moko’s tattoo based on various aspects such as cultural context, stylistic characteristics and subject matter.

Cultural context

The Moko is a western and eastern pacific method of tattooing. New Zealand has been the homeland for Maori for many centuries ago. In their culture, there are several terms used. Moko is the traditional Maori tattoo and comprises of taonga which means “treasure”. The process of tattooing is called Ta Moko. The Moko tattoos comprise of spirals which are applied to the nose, cheek and lower jaws. The tattoo acts as a cultural identity which identifies the Maori culture and the culture believes that head is the most sacred part of the body and thus the tattoo is mostly on the face (Nikora et al). The culture context informs the stylistic characteristics of the Maori culture by the curvilinear rays on the forehead which indicates the expression of Mataora, the living face. On the other hand, the orlan’s performance art is a representation of performances while in operation room and involves plastic surgery. The whole content of the Orlan’s performance is a paradox (Augsburg). In cultural perspective, the performance art is a description that indicates the body as a surface of inscriptions of culture rather that biological identity.

Stylistic Characteristics

The Orlan’s performance art and Maori Moko’s tattoo uses stylistic characteristics which are stylistic elements used in the arts to bring an auxiliary meaning, an idea as well as feeling. The two arts resembles one another in some ways. The Moko tattoos are interesting in that it has no simple to define characteristics. However, the stylistic characteristics of the tattoo are based on the culture inclination of the Maori. The Moko tattoo uses lines shaped differently. The lines are balanced in relation to their scale in their representation. Therefore, the formal characteristics employed in the art include shapes, pattern and composition that have different cultural meaning among the Maori. In relation to Orlan’s Performance art, the stylistic characteristic presented raises some questions in relation to how female form is represented. The art incorporates both the imagery and artistic support of the presented art. The main stylistic element used is as a result of the surgical operations.





Subject Matter of the Artworks

The significance of the Moko Tattoo appears to be a complex interplay between visual language and great anesthetic which underscores excellence artistic work. The design motifs use in the Moko Tattoo are universal. For instance, the spiral applied on the nose and the lower jaws. The main theme use in the Moko indicates social status, expressions and role as a way of identification through genealogy (King). The tattoo presented by Moko on the face is a taonga which refers to treasure to Maori, and the purpose and applications are sacred. The Moko acts as a visual language which connects person tattooed to their whakapapa. On the other hand, the subject matter in relation Orlan’s performance act is the feminist tactics of subversion in her presentation of the body as an art. Orlan’s performance art acts as rituals of submission of female, the analogous to primitive rites involving cutting up of a body of a woman. Simply, Orlan’s performance art acts as a representation of gender identity in art while Moko tattoo is a representation of the body in art.

Functions and possible meaning of the arts

Ta Moko acts as a history of an achievement of an individual, and it was a representation of their status and their tribal background. The Moko tattoo served as a reminder to people about their responsibilities in life. The patterns Moko tattoos on the face depended on the ranking. In particular, women had designated pattern put on their faces as a sign that someone close to them had died (Vergine). The functions and the meaning of the Moko tattoo were identified by exploring the Maori legends and the spiritual life they followed. On the other hand, the Orlan’s performance art serves a mean of expressing herself using the omnipresence performance with wide-world coverage. The Orlan’s performance art main concern is to communicate idea related to the representation of the gender identity.

Similarity and difference between the two arts

There are several similarities and differences between the Orlan’s performance art and Maori Moko’s. One of the most significant similarity is that both arts are subjective as their functions and meaning relate to the various aspects of society. The other similarity is that both arts express knowledge in a more subjective representation. Also, the two arts are visual and signify some aspects like other forms of arts. In relation to the differences between the two arts, the Moko tattoos represent an art that signifies body identity while Orlan’s performance art represents gender identity in art.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear that the two arts have various similarities as well as differences. In fact, one acts as a representation of the body, Moko while the other acts as a representation of gender, Orlan’s performance art. The Moko tattoos belonged to New Zealand and were used by the Maori as a sign of cultural identity. The Orlan’s performance art uses feminist tactics of subversion in the representation of gender identity. The main reason why I choose to write on the artworks is that they both represent the body and gender identity.









Works Cited

Augsburg, Tanya. "Orlan’s performative transformations of subjectivity." The ends of performance (1998): 285-314.

Vergine, Lea. Body art and performance: the body as language. Skira-Berenice, 2000.

Rubin, Arnold. "Marks of civilization: Artistic transformations of the human body." (1996).

King, Michael. Moko: Maori tattooing in the 20th century. David Bateman Ltd, 1992.

Nikora, Linda Waimarie, Mohi Rua, and Ngahuia Te Awekotuku. "Renewal and resistance: Moko in contemporary New Zealand." Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology 17.6 (2007): 477-489.