| Abstract [eng] |
This study examines the expressions of radical performance art in Eastern Europe, looking at the posthumanist discourse in a sphere of art involving body harm, deprivation or mutilation. Since radical performance art is an effective media of communicating political critique which is often aligned with pathological behaviour, according to previous academic researches. This study strives to understand the paradox of aligning a way of communicating political protest through body harm with pathological behaviour by exploring their meanings and posing the problem – what political ideas/themes/issues are addressed in radical performance art works that might lead to a rejection (alignment with pathology) of the main protest message. The cases of radical performance art are analysed based on interpretative methodology, using a method of discourse analysis. The analysis showed that the most probable reasons for aligning radical performance art with pathological behaviour were based on the themes this said artform is critiquing. Looking through a posthumanist perspective, radical performance art cases usually critiqued hierarchical thinking as well as human exceptionalism. For an artform produced in a context of anthropocentrism, there topics are vital for constructing a valuable political debate on implications of humanist discourse on human exceptionalism and subsequently, the whole living environment. However, context of anthropocentrism makes these topic uncomfortable, after all, no human subject wants to question their position of power. This study shows that radical performance art, involving body harm, deprivation and mutilation, in the context of posthumanism is aligned with pathological behaviour and not seen as valuable form of political critique due to the fact that this form of art expression chooses to critique aspects of political discourse humans are not ready to face. Since humans are being critiqued in radical performance art for enforcing hierarchies, social injustice, capitalism and abusing natural environment causing climate change, there is nowhere to shift the blame, therefore, the only option is to reject the artform altogether. |
