the liminal body
This project explores feminist critiques of idealized representations of women by reconstructing famous artistic poses with her own body, engaging both the natural environment and physical endurance as tools. By contorting herself to mimic classical poses, she exposes the often unrealistic and unattainable ideals of femininity that are glorified in art history, much like modern critiques of fashion imagery. Her efforts to replicate these exaggerated forms underscore a disconnect: while the recreated poses may visually echo revered artworks, the physical pain and discomfort Yelena experiences highlight the alienation between these idealized images and lived, embodied reality. This bodily reenactment is not merely mimicry; it challenges viewers to recognize how cultural artifacts have shaped and limited perceptions of femininity, presenting an impossible standard as though it were natural or achievable. Her process transforms bare life into art by using her own body language to bridge and critique this historical divide, emphasizing that what is often idealized as feminine beauty is based on physical impossibility. Yelena’s project documents this realization through performative acts at the Kunstschouw Zeeland in Renesse, where the juxtaposition of her strained poses against a natural setting further questions the ways art history has imposed restrictive frames on female identity. Her work is thus a feminist intervention into the male-dominated canon, questioning the endurance of idealized forms and reminding viewers of the persistent pressures that such representations continue to impose on women. The resulting images hold an aesthetic allure, but an ambiguous one, as the physical discomfort underlying the beauty invites us to question both the cost of these ideals and their impact on real women’s lives.
