Transformative Perspectives: A Post-Critical View. Unraveling ORLAN’s Vision of Augmented Reality, Posthumanism, Body Art, and Feminism

Abstract

This article delves into the daring practices of the French artist ORLAN, investigating her visionary approach through the lens of a post-critical perspective. We explore the dynamic interplay between new digital technologies, such as augmented reality, posthumanism, body art, and feminism, as embodied in ORLAN’s transformative works. Drawing from a post-critical stance, we analyse the transformative potential of ORLAN’s art, moving beyond mere critique to propose constructive alternatives. Augmented reality and her surgical digital performances in which she alters her body enable ORLAN’s interventions to challenge established norms of identity, personification, and aesthetic sensibilities. Following this, she considers technology to be the extension of the human body throughout her practices. The collaborative and dialogic dimensions of ORLAN’s augmented reality installations resonate harmoniously with the tenets of a new wave of critical theories, fostering participatory environments and nurturing communal engagement. By embracing a post-critical lens, this analysis unveils the transformative vision of the artist, underscoring its seminal import within the sphere of fine art movements, feminism, and the reconceptualisation of identity, embodiment, and aesthetics.