Embodiment as shown in The Artist Is Present is not a style of art that I have ever been familiarized with. Art as embodiment in my life has involved creating visual or written art in public spaces, along with including strangers in the creative process. At times this has involved addressing social issues, and at times it has not. While this way of relating to art as embodiment is important, I do not feel that it reaches the level of Marina Abramovic’s message and purpose. Gallivanting around urban areas flinging paint and poetry at people helps to bring us together and to bring out creativity, but Marina touches on something more deeply spiritual in nature.
The disturbing, awe inspiring, and transcendentally beautiful nature of her work is at the heart of societal change, and this is something unique to embodiment. What is happening before the audience is real, it is flesh and blood rather than an object on a wall, or as Marina puts it, ketchup and a plastic knife. It provokes something from deep within that cannot be contained by language. Philosophers and religious leaders alike claim time and time again that societal change requires a spiritual revolution. A prime example of this is the Dalai Lama’s narrative in his book Ethics for the New Millennium. If a spiritual revolution is necessary, then what better way is there for an artist to push for change than through embodiment, which has the unique quality of transcending logic and delving into something deeply human?
Logic is highly valued in our culture, while spiritual matters are minimized. Gablik frames this issue in terms of the world being “disenchanted.” She paints a picture for the reader of a mechanistic world that has too few outlets for the feeling of the transcendent. This issue is also addressed in Art That Heals, as Moore and Zehr describe the competitive and individualized nature of capitalistic culture. Both texts suggest that what we are left with is a need to shift to a paradigm that acknowledges the world’s interconnectedness and need for cooperative interaction. A necessary step in this direction is spiritual development.
If the goal is to reenchant the world, and reenchant art, then embodiment seems to be key. It is interactive, and more enchanting than most things I have beheld. Not only does it bring people together, it opens people up and brings them somewhere beyond the rat race of everyday life. It is something powerful on a deeply personal level, and encourages people to open their minds and mouths. On top of this, people are allowed to pass through the mind body divide that has pervaded our ideology since the Victorian era.
For decades people have shifted in a mindset that idealizes the value of intellect and disregards the value of the body. Embodiment, simply through the power of how it touches people, emphasizes the value of the body. Marina’s work shows us how powerfully one can be touched by the body. When we observe her cutting into her flesh we feel something indescribable. When we understand what she is putting her body through and look into her eyes to see the spiritual result, we feel touched by the transcendent. This the body can do, and logic and analysis cannot. Embodiment is a truly significant, useful, and empowering practice. It is captured with stunning clarity by The Artist is Present, and the lesson therein is something that goes beyond that which language is capable of describing.
artforsocietalchange 