Le Body Art : un autre modèle pour penser les scarifications

Abstract

ObjectiveThe practice of scarification crosses the boundaries of periods and societies. Recently, it has been the subject of growing interest in contemporary societies, but most studies address this practice from a psychopathological point of view and focus above all on the mental issues they reveal or implicate. Alongside with the proliferation of these studies, several contemporary artistic practices stage scarification and reject any psychopathological view of these practices as self-injury behaviours. This article aims to approach scarification through the prism of Body Art, in order to highlight certain components that are generally overlooked by psychopathological approaches. MethodUsing the notions of “body language” and the “authentic” relationship with the spectator that underpin artistic performances, and with reference to the writings and interviews of Gina Pane and Marina Abramovic, this article intends to revisit the questions of inscription and inter-subjective relationships in the practices of scarification. ResultsThe discourse relating to both private and public scarification revolves around the purpose of repossessing a body felt as belonging to others. The act of cutting is not a mere act of self-aggression, it also stages another aggression, and is more or less consciously seeking an audience. In addition, there is also a unity in the reactions of observers: either rejection/disgust or fascination/attraction, but almost never indifference. DiscussionUsing the psychological concept of the uncanny that is triggered by scarification of the body, this article suggests the existence of a fantasy of a fragmented body. ConclusionThe exploration of this fantasy of a fragmented body, rendered perceptible by the “opening” of the body, can either consolidate or hamper subjectification, depending on the ability of the subject to reconstruct a less alienating image under the gaze of a benevolent Other.