“Skill without imagination is craftsmanship and gives us…wickerwork picnic baskets. Imagination without skill gives us modern art.”
— Tom Stoppard
For decades, artists have defended their craft under the bohemian “art for art’s sake” slogan, whose philosophy defied the ethical purpose of art and instead reinforced its intrinsic value. However, somewhere along the outspread of this ideology, the centuries old question of “What is art?” is now answered with “What is not art?”, allowing artworks that produce morally, physically and aesthetically controversial pieces.
In a recent SXSW performance by Lady Gaga, this ‘intrinsic value’ of art was taken to a literal level with the appearance of “vomit artist” Millie Brown, who vomited on Lady Gaga as part of the music act. Critics believe that after Piss Christ (2011), Exposicion No.1 (2007), and Shvarts’s collection of blood from forced miscarriages, it was only a matter of time before “vomit art” was introduced. Brown’s pieces are made by vomiting colored milk unto canvas, and creating images similar to the abstract paintings of Gaga’s favorite artist, Jackson Pollock. Her rise to fame, however, has stirred much debate in art communities and societies around the world, primarily because her artwork appears as if it “glamorizes” eating disorders.
Health Risks
During the time of heroic medicine, self-induced vomiting was considered to be one of the primary methods of cleansing the body of toxins, alongside bloodletting. Today’s society, however, has taken self-induced vomiting to a new extreme; following eating disorders, it is now a new art format. Using research gathered from the effects they have seen on patients with eating disorders, doctors caution that over time, self-induced vomiting will wear out the inner walls of the esophagus, damage teeth enamel, and cause loss of water and electrolytes.
Vomit artist, Millie Brown, may just be one of its eventual victims, yet she argues, “I’m not too concerned about the effects on my health as it’s not something I do every day.” Though her vomit art is done every few months, the risk of vomiting even that often eventually takes a toll on the human body. In an interview, Brown stated, “I have experienced migraines,” one of the most common early side-effects of too much self-induced vomiting.
The Public’s Reaction
In a society where the image of beauty revolves around hourglass figures, skinny waists, and flawless skin, the public fears that Millie Brown’s on-stage puking act and her nouveau art format would only further encourage young Gaga fans to employ self-induced vomiting in order to conform to society’s beauty standards. Though Brown has clarified that she does not induce vomiting on a regular basis, many accuse her of “glamorizing” eating disorders just by publicizing the act.
The vomit artist defended herself by saying, “I think there’s an obvious difference between using my body to create something beautiful…rather than using it to harm myself…” Brown hopes that her work would raise awareness of eating disorders rather than promote them. However, considering the level of sensitivity that under confident women and girls have of their self-impression, the masses predict that the performance of this new “art” would only elevate the addiction and make it even more difficult for eating disorder patients to overcome their illness.
Not Knowing Where To Draw The Line
The purpose and meaning of art changes with the years: at one time it was about idolization, recording historical events and important figures, or tearing reality apart. Due to its constant state of change, the form and content of artworks alters with art’s meaning. Thus far, art has experimented with different mediums and content to make a statement, express feelings, show the world its own shame, or predict future possibilities.
Today, however, it revolves around the imprecise concept of “self-expression”, using it as a defense for morally disturbing creations. Present day misinterpretation of modern art has even gone so far as to harm either the artist or the object on display. Vomit artist, Millie Brown, is now one of a dozen or so artists who have created materials that show us our drawbacks as a species rather than our wisdom as a people, alongside Shvarts, Vargas and Hirst.
Her defense to this new medium: “I wanted to use my body… to create something raw and uncontrollable” — an ideology that has made certain artwork into a celebration of suffering rather than into aesthetically pleasing or intellectually stimulating craft.
This piece was written by Theodora Karamanlis. Edited by Patrick Daniel. Cover photo by Dr. Case.
