Chapter 20 Summary

Thomas McEvilley writes in his book “Sculpture in the Age of Doubt,” published 1999, about an artist who portrays more then just the physical presence of her work. Jana Sterbak is a Czech artist who uses the identity of her materials to express a meaning greater then what appears. She strives to establish the connection humanity has with its physical being and where exactly the soul stand within this chamber. To explore the restraints that society plays on how human should act, dress, talk, and just be, is a main theme throughout Sterbak's work. She captures the bondage of femininity and how suppressive the role of gender is by being clearly segregated. Another important message conveyed by Sterbak is the thought of the body as a prison with a spirit trapped inside, yet by acknowledgement of such a force brings the theory of breaking free.

In her piece Vanitas: Flesh Dress for an Albino Anorectic, 1987, she expresses the thought of her soul being bound by decaying flesh. When this piece is displayed without a human wearing the dress, it leaves a presence of absence, the soul has flown free from its cage only leaving the rotting meat behind. Another work by Sterbak that expresses the soul breaking from its entrappment is her Artist as Combustible 1986. Here she displays a woman standing naked with a flame bursting from her skull as if it were releasing the spiritual energy of her inner core. In the yogic tradition this would be an expression of freeing the soul. The flame being representational of her spirit, it sparks to recognize its prison and eventually allow the transformation of the soul, leaving its physicality behind. Although she accepts the realization of entrapment of our inner being, another third chamber of bondage becomes the classification of social norms, especially gender discrimination.

In her piece, I Want You to Feel the Way I Do (the Dress) 1985, she displays an electrified dress of metal mesh depicting the female role as a sex object. With the dress having “easy access” areas, it brings the thought of suppression and being chained to a tortuous game of how a woman should be. In her work Hairshirt, 1992, she shows a sleeveless shirt with male chest hair sown into the fabric, it is worn by a woman exposing her breasts through the hair. This points to how a woman is held in confinement by the male expectations of femininity. She declares the freedom of such restrained aspects of society by the realization of such discrimination as well as the physical limit placed on the body.

1. Could art become something more then a physical presence?
2. How can we change the treatment of our physical selves to a more spiritual level?
3. Can society separate itself from the expectations of a human being?