Although I would never have the guts to attempt such a project, I’m still thinking about meat and art. I found out that Jana Sterbak also made a meat dress (in 1991, boy am I behind the times!) and also read some commentary about public reaction to this and other controversial art mediums. Of course, most viewers will find it revolting, and some are bound to end up protesting, whether it be with nasty words or by mailing vast amounts of food scraps to the gallery (which is what some 200 people did when Sterback’s meat dress was displayed in a Canadian art museum).
As part of a controversial exhibit in Santiago’s Sala Juan Egenau Gallery (forgive me for not knowing the date), Gabriela Rivera filmed herself with raw meat placed over her face, head, and upper body–exposing only one eye, the septum of her nose, and her teeth. The photo that I saw of this is a bit disturbing, but I think these people have made a legitimate art statement by using meat as their medium. Raw meat, specifically.
If you think about it, cooked meat doesn’t have nearly the same visceral reaction as does raw, especially when placed in close proximity to (or in contact with) our own skin. But…although I appreciate the gut reaction and social commentary that these works of art produce, I’m also absolutely positive that I would not want a piece of “high art” such as this hanging on my wall for six straight weeks!
On a lighter note, it seems that lots of people are making art using the deli section of their local grocery. Since I am in the process of making a hat, I decided to look up meat hats, and lo and behold, they are out there. Although it appears that the majority of these concoctions are mustered up after few too many beers, some are nonetheless executed quite satisfactorily.