The Body Narrative In Kiki Smith’s Works

Kiki Smith has been making a name for himself in the art world since the 1980 s with a bold body-centered art practice.Her works include sculpture,printmaking,photography,installation and textile technology.As an artist born out of the post-modern spirit,Smith starts from the human body,tries to break the traditional experience and cognition,and provides a new perspective for people to view the body,understand the body,gender and nature.Over the years,Smith has always been based on the body and insisted on the creation of the body.Her artistic techniques have influenced the fields of painting and printmaking in various ways,and she is famous in the sculpture industry for her rich media innovation.The unique body narrative in her artistic creation is of great significance to the practice and theoretical research of contemporary art.Smith’s concept of the body is extremely subversive and rebellious.She insists on speaking in the language and form of the body itself,immersing society,politics and nature in it,and deeply exploring philosophy and aesthetics.Her continuous creation from the body makes her artistic expression constitute a complete body narrative vein.This paper sorts out and summarizes the works of Kiki Smith,combines the development history of the body theme in art and concept,and analyzes the body in Smith’s works from three aspects: artistic image,artistic concept and artistic aesthetic,hoping to form a clearer understanding of the context of Smith’s works.First of all,in the aspect of artistic image and techniques,Smith attaches importance to the exploration of body texture and texture techniques,presenting the physicality and materiality different from the traditional body image.Secondly,on the level of artistic expression,Smith emphasizes the importance of physical experience,and discusses the possibility of "spiritualization" and "consciousness" of the body.Finally,on the level of artistic aesthetic pursuit,Smith believes that the body should be restored to the body with "body",that is,the body should be liberated from the conflict and bondage of the spirit and flesh of the philosophy of consciousness,so that the body can show itself in art.