STRADDLING ANTHROPOMETRY
PERFORMANCE, 20 min 44 sec
In this piece, I engage in a dialogue with Yves Klein and his infamous Anthropometry performance held in his Paris studio on February 27, 1960. Klein orchestrated an elaborate spectacle, directing nude female models to immerse themselves in his signature International Klein Blue paint, using their bodies as "living paintbrushes" pressed and smeared onto two-dimensional sheets of paper.
Inspired by Klein's parameters, I reclaim agency of the female body by applying the paint to my own body. Here I am the artist and the model. I aim to eschew traditional poses and resist the notion of entertainment by confronting the audience with a straddling position. The straddling gesture, made possible by the addition of a ledge component, transforms my body markings into a three-dimensional object. This object not only exists in a specific time and space but also functions as a boundary within the exhibition space. The act of straddling, specifically for femme bodies, carries connotations of confidence, assertion, and of sexual suggestion. Broadening the interpretation, "straddling the ledge" evokes a phrase commonly used to describe someone navigating both sides of a topic or issue, hinting at binary elements within the gendered aspects of this position or in the metaphorical nuances of a given subject.
The time allotted is referencing Klein’s twenty minutes of playing the same note in his performance. Here I am using the twenty minutes to give the subject (model/artist/performer) power, power in holding space without having to perform anything more than what is presented. To be in control of one’s own body — to not be one of exploitation.
I have incorporated recorded excerpts of Yves Klein’s voice directing his models. This audio accompaniment serves as a set of instructions that subtly underscores themes of oppression. I have also included recorded interviews of Klein’s wife Rotraut, and one of his “favorite” models, Elena Palumbo-Mosca. They both speak of Klein very highly, and this brings up more questions for me about the characteristics of figures in power. The notion that they can seduce people to mask their control. In this performance, my emphasis is specific to women’s bodies but my examination elucidates how figures like Klein have left a lasting and influential imprint on societal perceptions.
Lastly, the mocktails reference Klein’s blue cocktails served to audience members at the original performance, but here, the artist consumes the blue mocktail as a kind of self-satisfaction or self-indulgence, and to mark the end of the performance.
Date: 2-9-2024 in San Francisco, CA.
Photos courtesy of Ashley Spencer & Gene VanWyk
