Gunter Brus

Wow, so, from reading 'The Photo Book', I came across the 'Self Portrait' project by Gunter Brus. The images took my by surprise because they are rather disturbing...yet intriguing. Brus covered himself in a whit paste, and marked with a brush a line of what might be dark stitches from his scalp to his neck. It really looks as if he has been opened up and put back together again. 

The make up skills that Brus has shown in this project are superb and really creative. I particularly like the way that he has chosen to show one piece of apparatus that could have given him the injury in each image. This makes the viewer wonder what happened to him and what was his inspiration - was his inspiration a real life event? So, apart from the really creative art work on his own face, Brus really involves the viewer by giving off some mixed narratives. It reminds me of Orlan; an artist who had a variety of plastic surgery on herself in the name of art; to be something completely different and to push the boundaries of the art world. Although this is not as dramatic and permanent, it does remind me of the story because Brus has changed the way he looks in the name of art. Also, to some it may be quite disturbing, as the work or Orlan was to me.