Since ancient times, the romans and other civilizations have collected their precious tears, and with artists the collection of bodily fluids has not stopped with mere tears. There is a strange attraction to the bizarre for several artists, and famous artists are known to have used feces, urine, blood and other bodily fluids in creating art. For instance, Andy Warhol is said to have invited people to urinate on a canvas in order to oxidize the metallic pigments in the paint. His Oxidation Series was created by utilizing the chemical properties and chemical reactions between the paints and the acidity of the urine.
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| Oxidation Series by Warhol |
An Italian friend of mine that works in the restoration of churches, old buildings and works of art had once told me of an Italian artist collecting feces and calling it art. I later discovered that what she had said was actually true and that in 1961, artist Piero Manzoni from Italy filled tin cans with excrement and labeled it as Artist's Shit. It is believed that this artwork was created for the purpose of mocking the art establishment. One of these satirical tin cans of "merda" is recorded as being sold for an incredible amount of 124K euros in 2007.
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| Artist's Shit by Manzoni |
In my own personal experience, the most peculiar exhibition of art that I have ever visited was two decades ago when a friend of mine, an artist, invited me to an unusual display of art. We visited an exhibition where the artist used her menstrual blood to create paintings on paper, and another exhibited artist collected her used tampons and utilized them in sculptural types of art. It appears that currently there are many other female artists emulating this trend. Human blood is a common medium for the art world. In more recent times, Marc Quinn, who is well known for his solid gold statute of Kate Moss,
has used his own blood, about 4.5 liters, to create a sculpture of himself that must be kept frozen. This process is continued and a new self of MarcQuin is created evey 5 years.
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| Self by Marc Quinn |
Not only the artist, but also the spectator is simultaneously awed and appalled by the use of human corporeal liquids and wastes in these works nominated as art. There are many works that incorporate this method in order to shock and perplex the public. Is it really art? Who is to decide if it truly is or not?
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