masochism as medium – Little Bristling Soul

Gina Pane, Psyché [Psyche], 1974

“The word psyche has two meanings; firstly, the human soul, and secondly, from Greek mythology, the name of the ravishingly beautiful daughter of the King of Crete, who is always portrayed with butterfly wings and is worshipped by Eros. A psyché is a cheval glass; a full-length swivelling mirror.

In the tape Psyche (in some texts it is referred to as Psyché), Pane is inspecting herself in a large mirror (a psyché?), and is using make-up to draw an image of her face on that mirror. With a razor blade, she cuts herself just below her eyebrows. Then she goes and stands against a grid, holding a bunch of downy feathers in her hands. With the razor blade, she cuts a cross in the skin around her navel. Between these acts of self-mutilation, she plays with tenni balls, licks her breasts and caresses her body with the feathers. However, these moments never last long. Ritual torture always plays the lead in this ceremony of cleansing. In Psyche, the artist proves herself to be as vulnerable as the mythological King’s daughter with her butterfly wings.”

—LIMA

peterdepotterindex:

Peter De Potter – Christian banner (Liberty), 2014 (detail).160 x 120 cm, mixed media, edition of 1. From the series ‘MY BLOOD TOMORROW LAND’ published in issue 6 of Dust magazine, with the support of Dior Homme.

Among people who reject the mystical state, the only yardstick for measuring the will-to-decreate is sadomasochism

Chris Kraus, Aliens & Anorexia

Jana Sterbak

chronickalopsiac:

gina pane (b. 1939, d. 1990)

orgastic expulsion of intra space

Star (from the portfolio ‘Dear Stieglitz’)

Marina Abramović

This photograph relates to a performance called ‘Lips of Thomas’ from 1973, in which the artist tested her physical endurance. In the manner of offering herself as a ritual sacrifice, Abramović ate a kilogram of honey, drank a litre of red wine, and cut a five-pointed star into her stomach with a razor blade. She then whipped herself until she could no longer feel any pain and finally lay on a cross made of ice. The photograph is from a portfolio called ‘Dear Stieglitz,’ named in homage to Alfred Stieglitz, the photographer and gallery owner who published the art-photography journal ‘Camera Work’ in the early Twentieth century.