Body Art
The class presentation about Laura Aguilar born in 1959 provided a very unique
and eye opening way of creating artwork. I knew that artwork could consist of
using one’s unclothed body to photograph or paint; however, I had never seen
someone attempt to blend their natural body with the Earth. Her powerful example of her bare
body lying against the rocks, sand, and underbrush in the dessert was a way of
expressing touch and feeling. I was able to see how she related some of her
photographs with depression and personal struggles she faced as a Mexican American and Irish American background, Lesbian and diagnosed with dyslexia. I understood that
she took the Earth’s touch to deeper level
The expression she gave in her video where she described how comfortable she was talking the nude, walking in the nude, and photographing in the nude was a way for her to convey that there is a deeper
connection to the earth. As a result, she was in her own photographs and gradually grew to become comfortable with her own body. The natural scenery of the Earth with the
contrast of light and dark objects gave her the strength to gain confidence with her body. She felt that out in the open that no one could criticize her artwork. Essentially, she felt at
ease with her photographs. Being out in the open dessert taking photoraghs was
essentially her home away from home and that the dirt and soil will not let her
go. I admire her work because she took the risk of exposing her bare body as a part of the landscape and rejecting what society thought of her.
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