Down with the Cis-tem
Marina Abramović, Rhythm 0, 1974. A woman wipes tears from Abramović’s face during the performance. Photo by Donatelli Sbarra.
Performance art is a good tool for rebelling against societal norms, aiming to provoke reactions from the audience and occasionally encouraging their participation. This article specifically focuses on feminist performance art from the late 1960s to the present, exploring how artists challenged and deconstructed traditional norms of gender and sexuality. This movement not only sparked new discourse but also provided a platform for countercultures protesting against a white, male-dominated culture. Throughout this article, we will also analyze the contributions of male artists, their perspectives on the feminist movement, and their involvement with sexuality, gender roles, concluding with an examination of gender roles beyond the binary social system, both in that era and the present.
In feminist performance art and the broader feminist discourse, gender roles and differences served as catalysts for political and social rebellion against the established norms of the status quo, masculinism, dominance, and patriarchal structures. Within patriarchal societies, the female body is subjected to domination, marginalization, and objectification by heterosexual hierarchies. Their 'otherness' (in relation to a dominant male subject) in representation is understood as absence and masking within the culture they exist in. Criticizing the exclusion of female artists from the male-centric art history canon, women contested their relegation to the background as mere objects of male desire. Consequently, performance art emerges as a pivotal force in feminist discourse, unmasking and celebrating women, femininity, and sexuality. This marks a groundbreaking moment as women artists utilize their own bodies as instruments of rebellion against those who seek to objectify and misrepresent them.
Yoko Ono’s Cut Piece is a classic example of a feminist performance work. First performed in 1964, Ono, kneeling in a gallery with scissors, invited the audience to cut her clothes until she was naked. Remaining motionless and silent, her seiza posture represented a polite sitting position in Japan. Initially seen as a critique against artists, Ono later clarified its feminist ideas, highlighting violence against women and the sexualization of female bodies. The work portrays Ono as a victim of the male gaze, with the audience taking on the roles of voyeur and sadist. In 1971, Ono emphasized that the performer need not be a woman, asserting anyone could be a victim of patriarchal society regardless of gender.
Yoko Ono, Cut Piece, 1964. Photo by Minoru Niizuma.
Marina Abramović's Rhythm 0, akin to Ono's work, engaged the audience as participants. Instead of scissors, Abramović provided seventy-two objects, ranging from a rose and feather to scissors, nails, a gun, and bullets, intensifying the risk for the artist. Similar to Ono's approach, Abramović explores the audience's superiority and sadistic power. In this work, she positions herself as a powerless figure, inviting visitors to use the objects as they desire, pushing her own limits while relinquishing control over the audience's actions. Criticism of this violent piece, notably influenced by her gender, contrasts with the praise for Chris Burden's Shoot, created three years earlier, despite both works employing similar methods.
Shigeko Kubota's Vagina Painting (1965) serves as a direct critique of gender roles. By utilizing her vagina as a brush, Kubota creates a calligraphy-like work inspired by East Asian tradition, poking fun at the glorification of male artists. The act involves her attaching a brush to her clothes, dipped in red paint, effectively imitating the menstrual cycle. Kubota's intention becomes clearer when considering the perception of menstruation in East Asian societies like Japan, primarily influenced by Shinto and Buddhism, where it is often associated with filth and impurity. Notably, as Kubota moved to the US during this period, the performance also became a celebration of her newfound independence from a male-oriented world.
Carolee Schneemann, inspired by Kubota, created the performance piece Interior Scroll in 1975. Created by a woman, addressing women, and performed for a predominantly female audience, the work faced intense criticism for its explicit nature. In the performance, Schneemann pulled a long scroll from her vagina and read it aloud. The text openly criticized the male exploitation of women, intending to highlight and celebrate the power of women and female sexuality. Schneemann's act was an endeavor to reclaim ownership of her body and a call for other women to do the same.
Stills from Carolee Schneemann’s Interior Scroll performance, 1975.
To grasp the gender roles, stereotypes, and challenges of this period, comparing the works of female and male artists is essential to observe how they subvert traditional gender norms. While male artists were part of the movement, their focus shifted towards critiquing male gender roles within the patriarchal society and the (dis)placement of masculinity. These artists centered their work around the male body, particularly the phallus, critiquing masculinity, heteronormativity, authority, heroism, and gender identity.
Vito Acconci, a well-known male performance artist, is best known for work perceived as demasculinizing, notably his explicit piece Seedbed. In this performance at the Sonnabend Gallery, Acconci spent three days masturbating, moaning, and whispering. According to Jones, Acconci's work suggests that "masculinity is most valuable when it is carefully hidden behind (and conflated with) the objects of art," creating an illusion of the phallus while remaining concealed. The piece can be interpreted both as masculinizing, emphasizing the artist's superiority and power over the audience, and as feminizing, portraying him as the object of desire, thereby demasculinizing his societal position.
In another piece, Conversions I-III (1970-1971), Acconci attempted to feminize his masculine body by brutalizing his genitalia and hair. By victimizing himself, adopting elements associated with femininity such as plucking and burning his hair or concealing his penis, Acconci seeks to critique the gender system, openly displaying his body and masculinity. Given the influence of toxic masculinity and homophobia in his society, any expression of femininity by men is perceived as both demasculinizing and homoerotic.
Stills from Vito Acconci's Conversions I: Light, Reflections, Self-Control, 1970-1.
Robert Morris's I-Box (1962) exposes the artist's concealed body, including his genitalia, by undressing him and placing his naked form at the focal point. The artist remains obscured behind the letter 'I,' acting as a window into the hidden body. This arrangement fosters a voyeuristic dynamic between the artist and the viewer, redirecting the (male) gaze toward a male figure—a departure from the more common focus on female figures prevalent in art history.
Photo from Robert Morris's I-Box, 1962.
Looking beyond the binary spectrum during this period reveals a scarcity of artists challenging gender roles outside the heteronormative system. The absence of queer artists raises concerns, suggesting either a lack of artists of this 'nature' or their deliberate exclusion from art history. Stephen Varble, an almost forgotten and invisible queer artist, defied norms as a performance artist, drag artist (Marie Debris), and an 'outrageous art-world provocateur.' Varble's work in the 1970s involved playing diverse personas and donning costumes that blended both female and male fashion elements, often satirizing male roles. In pieces like Milk Dress and Pear Dress, Varble appeared in full makeup, pearls, a low-cut dress made from everyday objects, a wig, all while exposing his beard, hairy body, and genitalia. His art embraced gender stereotypes, critiquing them adamantly and rejecting identification within a binary framework.
Allan Tannenbaum, Stephen Varble – Fountain of Safety – SoHo, 1975.
Although this period was meant to be one of social changes, especially the feminist movement, it also cast a shadow over the artists who did not fit in, leading to the lack of representation of queer artists. Contemporary performance artists such as crazinisT artisT (Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi), Joey Hateley, and Cassils are just some of the genderqueer artists working against social stigmas regarding gender stereotypes, identity politics, sexual stigma, and queerness.
Feminist performance art wields significant power in challenging the status of women within the phallocentric, modernist, and patriarchal social system, providing a platform for their voices and freedom of expression. The mentioned artists represent just a fraction who used their work and bodies to rebel against this system. While male artists explored gender, some works inadvertently reinforce their privilege compared to female contemporaries. This dynamic extends beyond women to encompass all genders. Performance art mirrors societal changes, celebrating artists' autonomy, challenging cultural constraints, and advocating sexual liberation. Breaking with tradition and embracing creative liberation fosters an inclusive space, enabling marginalized individuals to express themselves beyond normative molds and reshaping art history discourse.
