Artwork: The Me I Used to Be
Greetings, Friends!
Today, I’d like to share a bit about an artwork I created that represents my experience of Breast Cancer and Menopause through a political lens: the lens of Michele Foucault, and you can discover more about his theories at the end of this piece. Foucault was a central figure in my graduate studies, and his theories influence my perspectives on power dynamics; particularly kink.
About the Artwork:
My process for handmade art is intuitive and rooted in rooted in the Taoist practice of contemplation.
In the mosaic of colors that is my self-portrait, each hue echoes the multitude of experiences that have sculpted my existence. The spectrum is a testament to the vibrancy of life lived in its fullness, with each color narrating a chapter of my story.
The line of gems, while marking the physical scar from my mastectomy, also traces the path of an emotional paralysis, a period where motion ceased, and time stood still. It is both a scar and a symbol, a reminder of the ordeals faced and the resilience mustered.
Central to the portrait is the jade egg, a sacred talisman of the Taoist wisdom that has been a beacon through my tribulations. It stands for the ancient practices that have fortified my life force, an emblem of the spiritual lineages that have guided me, yoga's profound teachings that have sustained me.
Through the prism of Michel Foucault's discourse, this art transforms into an act of defiance—a declaration of war against the entrenched medical narratives and the societal gaze that often disempowers those in its scrutiny.
In the Foucauldian frame, the body is not a mere vessel to be acted upon by the forces of medical intervention or pitied as a spectacle of suffering. Rather, this canvas asserts the body's sovereignty, its capacity to inscribe its own epic of survival and defiance against the illness that seeks to define it.
The concept of 'biopower,' as articulated by Foucault, echoes through this piece.
It interrogates and subverts the entrenched mechanisms that govern bodies within our cultural fabric. This portrait, thus, is not just a mirror to my journey but a 'counter-discourse'—an insurgence against the dominant medical and social narratives that often strip away the agency and identity of those deemed patients.
This artwork is a tribute to human tenacity and the alchemical force of the soul that transmutes adversity into strength. It captures the interplay of fragility and fortitude, shedding light on the silent battles and sovereign choices that unfold beyond the purview of institutional power. It beckons the onlooker to a profound contemplation, challenging preconceived notions of illness, convalescence, and corporeal existence.
In presenting this work, my intent is for you to perceive it as a narrative instrument that inverts and challenges conventional views of the body under the shadow of illness. This is more than a tableau of personal history; it is an emblem of empowerment and self-determination, echoing a narrative that reverberates with individual and collective significance.
Michel Foucault's theories revolve around the relationship between power, knowledge, and social control. Here's a simple explanation of some key concepts:
Power/Knowledge: Foucault argued that power and knowledge are not separate entities but are intertwined. Those who control knowledge within a society have the power to define norms and decide what is considered true or false.
Discipline: He believed that societies maintain order not just through laws and rules but through subtle forms of surveillance and societal norms that we internalize, leading us to monitor and discipline ourselves.
Biopower: This term describes the practice of modern states to regulate their subjects through "an explosion of numerous and diverse techniques for achieving the subjugations of bodies and the control of populations."
Discourses: Foucault used this term to describe the systems of thoughts composed of ideas, attitudes, courses of action, beliefs, and practices that systematically construct the subjects and the worlds of which they speak.
The Medical Gaze: Foucault examined how the medical profession has historically viewed the patient's body as an object to be examined, diagnosed, and treated, often reducing the patient to a passive subject without agency.
Panopticism: From his study of the panopticon prison design, Foucault extended the idea to society. He suggested that the possibility of constant observation is a form of social control.
Historical A priori: This concept refers to the historical conditions that define the possible field of knowledge during any given period.
Archaeology and Genealogy: Foucault's methodological approaches to studying history. Archaeology examines the underlying rules that structure a society's knowledge at a particular point in time, while genealogy studies the emergence and transformation of these rules.
In summary, Foucault's work is an inquiry into how societal power operates in various institutions and practices, shaping our understanding of truth, influencing human behavior, and controlling populations, often without overt force.