Prosthetic Portraits

My work addresses notions of human beauty and its inextricable link with bodily hierarchies. Through it, I consider non-normative bodies and their relationship to ideal Western paradigms such as the model of proportion as conveyed within Classical Greek statuary, the Enlightenment concept of purity as reflected within 18th century Parian porcelain busts and figurines, and paragons of facial beauty within the Victorian era as indicated by the use of porcelain complexion fans (objects that protected the face from flushing and makeup from melting). The standards of beauty as measured by these objects have been pervasive throughout Western societies. The bodily representations that they uphold are exclusive. They are youthful, healthy, whole, symmetrical, and “able.” They are gendered, classed, and racially specific. Their presence within the art historical canon reifies their place within social hierarchies. Notions of beauty have been at the forefront of philosophical inquiry for centuries. In this contemporary setting, where aesthetic surgery and genetic manipulation abound, they are particularly relevant.