Orlan

What I find most interesting abour Orlan is her plastic surgery performances. Something that many women go through but in an element of privacy. Most women wont even admit they've had work done. Orlan saw this as an opportunity to shock the world and create art that nobody else has done. The glamorizing the procedures with costumes and props, Orlan went through numerous surgeries to her body without amnesia. As you can see in the image, the perfomance wasn't fake and included numerous bloody, graphic scenes. She also had horns installed in her forehead that remain there today. She wanted to make her performances obvious, and by adding horns - there was no hiding it. I think her message was that if you're going to undergo certain procedures that are costly and life changing - why not share the experience with everyone. By making artwork out of it she attracts a new audience - an audience who have never seen anything like this. By integrating props I believe she is saying how normal and everyday these procedures are for people. I think she made a huge statement by filming these surgeries and took a huge step in the definition of art.