The human body, especially the body of a female, has been a point of contention within society since the beginning of time. The body of a woman has rarely been hers. It has been property to man, covered up, shamed, and made to be something immoral. It has become criminal to expose one’s body in a manner considered to be “indecent” by societal standards, however there is something to be said about the ways that the body is artful, and can be regarded creatively.
Milo Moire, a Swiss artists and psychologist is renowned in Europe for her nude performances which stir quite a bit of controversy, due to their unconventional nature. Inspired by art created in the 1960’s, she put a mirrored box around both her breasts and vagina, and had people come up to her and touch them while simultaneously looking into her eyes. Both men and women of various ages approached her and touched her in her most private hidden areas in a very public setting, and this was all done in the name of artistic expression.
Exposing oneself in public is established as against the law, and one can be held accountable through official means like being arrested and put in jail. However, it cannot be denied that there is unmistakable beauty to the human body in its purest form; its curves and slopes, its lines and ridges, and simple existence is something to revel in. Our society teaches us that our bodies in their untouched, unaltered form is something criminal and should be dealt with as such when in actuality quite the opposite is true. Through this project, Milo wanted to bring awareness to the notion that women are victims when it comes it matters dealing with sexual assault, and bring strength and choice, and respect to matters dealing with women. In choosing who she allowed to touch her, for how long, and adding certain guidelines, SHE controlled the experience, and SHE was in charge, a fact that is very often not the case. She brought a new dimension to a topic that is largely overlooked or only spoken when something negative occurs. She made something that is criminalized, creative, and expressive, and everything that art is supposed to be: evoking an emotion.
Related posts:
Mona Lisa
Is the Nude Human Body a Crime?
Disrobing De Robertis
Performance Artist Arrested For Public Indecency
Woman Artist arrested for letting strangers touching her breast and genitals in public
Feminism Meets the Absurd
The Naked, The Nude, and the Mirrored Box
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