Pain and eroticism in contemporary feminist performance art (1964-2017)

• Grant number: 21/10842-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2022
• End date: January 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History
• Principal Investigator: Luana Saturnino Tvardovskas
• Grantee: Mariana Utunomiya Artusi
• Host Institution: Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas (IFCH). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

From the analysis of a series of performances by contemporary artists, this project aims to understand the narratives of pain and/or eroticism in the composition of artistic discourse. I propose a debate on how these elements are manifested in the work and analyze the cultural criticisms, meanings, and connections with the imaginary and visual culture in this composition. The research logic will follow three axes of study: the first refers to the manifestations of pain in the performance works of artists Priscila Rezende (1985-), Regina José Galindo (1974-), and Ana Mendieta (1948-1985); the secondly, alluding to the discussion of the performative work of Carolee Schneemann (1939-2019) and Márcia X. (1959-2005), in order to assimilate representations of eroticism; and finally, regarding the possible correlations between pain and eroticism in the performances of Fernanda Magalhães (1962-) and Virginia de Medeiros (1973-). For such articulations, I seek to promote relations with feminist cultural epistemologies and with the notions of sexuality and the body of authors such as Michel Foucault, Thomas Laqueur, George Bataille, Eliane Robert Moraes, and others.(AU)