This dissertation investigates the correlation between semiotic theory and the way that gendered subjectivity is represented in contemporary South African art. The phenomenon of signification is central to the semiotic theories of the Bulgarian semiotician and psychoanalyst Julia Kristeva. Semiotics can be described as the science of the sign that considers the way in which artists express their personal experience in art making. In this investigation I refer mainly to women's artworks, although the concept of gendered subjectivity in the work of male artists is also discussed. This particular research investigates the symbolic relations of culture in gender terms, that explores the apparent contradictions of subjectivity inherent in capitalist patriarchal society. / Art History, Visual Arts and Music / M.A. (Visual Arts)

Thesis (MA (Afrikaans and Dutch))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / In fulfilment of the degree of Magister in Creative Writing: Afrikaans, a novel titled Kielhaal (Keelhaul) is presented in which the main character figures as an abject hero. It is accompanied by a formal essay titled “Die abjekte held in Steppenwolf, Fight Club en A Whistling Woman” (“The abject hero in Steppenwolf, Fight Club and A Whistling Woman”). The essay researches the application of the abject hero in literary texts.

Notre thèse aborde la question de la beauté dans les arts plastiques d'aujourd'hui. Celle-ci en effet ne va pas de soi, si l'on en croit notamment les multiples publications manifestant un rejet de l'art contemporain. Peut-on parler, actuellement, d'une esthétique de l'œuvre renvoyant à une science du beauté à une satisfaction d'ordre essentiellement intellectuel? Soit de beauté intrinsèque qui, comme dans l'art de la Renaissance, relève tant de l'harmonie et de la justesse de ses formes que de la légitimité de son contenu, grâce à la mise en évidence du bien-fondé de la mimêsis, de la perspective ou des motifs religieux ? Ou bien faut-il plutôt, pour pouvoir juger de la valeur esthétique de l'art contemporain, accorder une place de choix à la singularité de ses causes et effets, en opérant notamment un inévitable glissement vers une science du sensible ? Or notre parallélisme entre "esthétique de l'œuvre" et "continuité" dans l'histoire de l'art d'une part, puis "esthétique des effets" et éventuelle "rupture" d'autre part, nous a conduits à interroger d'abord ces éléments de rupture tels que le refus de la profondeur ou de la représentation figurative, mais aussi celui de la réalisation ouvragée et de la matière noble. Mais il nous a aussi amenés, malgré des conditions politiques ou techniques spécifiques de réalisation, à nous pencher sur une véritable poiêsis contemporaine. Car avec les œuvres plastiques de notre époque, il s'agit bien, toujours et incontestablement, d'art et même "d'épiphanie", dès lors que l'on s'en réfère à la vision ontologique et apologétique du philosophe François Dagognet / Our thesisconcerns the question of beauty in the contemporaries plastic arts. But this one does not without saying, if we consider the simple fact of the numerous publications concerning the rejection of contemporary art. May we speak, today, of a "work's esthetic" which refers to a "science of beauty" and to an essentially intellectual satisfaction? We mean an intrinsic beauty, like the one of the Renaissance's art, concerning as much the harmony as the exactness of the forms or the legitimacy of its contents. We mean an art which puts in a prominent position the mimêsis, the perspective's method or the religious motifs. Or would not it be better, in the intention to become able to judge of the esthetic value of contemporary art, to give a first place to the singularity of his causes and effects, at the same time we slide towards a "science of the sensibility" ? In fact, our parallelism between "work's esthetic" and "continuity", then between "effect's esthetic" and a possible "breaking" makes us think about reasons of this breaking, such as the refusal of profundity or as the figurative representation, as well asthe rejection of construction works or noble material. However, we have succeded to consider contemporary art as a real and new poiêsis, in spite of his specific political and technical ways of realisation. And we may assert that, today, undeniably, it is the matter of real art, and even of "epiphany", as soon as we refer to the ontological and laudatory point of view of the philosophe François Dagognet

This study explores the construction of the Gothic female body in three films by the director Tim Burton, specifically Batman Returns (1992), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Dark Shadows (2012). Through a deployment of Julia Kristeva’s theory of abjection, the intention is to indicate the degree to which Burton crafts his leading female characters as abject Others and embodiments of Barbara Creed’s ‘monstrous-feminine’. In this Gothic portrayal, the director consistently draws on the essentialised stereotypes of Woman as either ‘virgin’ or ‘whore’ as he shapes his Gothic heroines and femmes fatales. While a gendered duality is established, this is destabilised to an extent, as Burton permits his female characters varying degrees of agency as they acquire monstrous traits. This construction of Woman as monster, this study will show, is founded on a certain fear of femaleness, so reinstating the ideology of Woman as Other. / English Studies / M.A. (English Studies)

Ce projet de recherche explore l’univers narratif de trois auteurs mexicains : Armando Ramírez, Guillermo Fadanelli et Rocío Boliver. En apparence dissemblables entre eux, leurs œuvres partagent une qualité que je propose ici d’identifier de « cynique ». Le cynisme, en tant qu’approche théorique, ouvre des possibilités interprétatives pour les manifestations artistiques, culturelles et politiques dans lesquelles est évident une friction avec les systèmes de valeurs dominantes. À travers différents langages (le roman, le conte, le récit et la performance), l’univers discursif de ces auteurs exprime un malaise envers le monde, réfléchit sur les conflits existentiels du sujet social mexicain et s’approprie de l’écriture, du corps et de la sexualité comme matière de dénonciation pour exhiber les dispositifs politiques avec lesquels vont être façonnées les catégories sociales ainsi que les canons et normes qui vont régler les codes éthiques et esthétiques de l’environnement culturel. En même temps, dans ces productions, le corps et la sexualité émergent comme une irruption et déplacement des discours en amenant l’exercice plein du langage corporel et écrit au bout de l’abjection. Dans le cas d’Armando Ramírez, le caractère cynique se construit à partir de la violence du langage et de l’attaque sexuelle pour dénoncer, depuis la voix du secteur dominé, le conflit historique des classes sociales. En ce qui concerne Guillermo Fadanelli, le cynisme va s’exprimer à partir de la destruction des grands récits qui donnent un sens linéal à l’existence. L’auteur profane l’écriture, les genres littéraires, la famille, la figure maternelle et les tabous sexuels. De son côté, l’œuvre de Rocío Boliver devient cynique lorsqu’elle conteste l’absence d’une représentation positive de la sexualité et de la vieillesse féminine. Cet artiste fait appel à la non-identification avec la religion catholique et les mécanismes de capitalisation du corps. Toutes ces raisons nous permettent de situer ces trois auteurs dans une tradition cynique pas seulement occidentale, mais notamment mexicaine, car cette recherche reconnait aussi la présence historique du cynisme critique dans la production culturelle du pays et dans la construction des identités nationales. / The present investigation explores the narrative universe of three Mexican authors: Armando Ramírez, Guillermo Fadanelli and Rocío Boliver. Despite obvious differences, their works share characteristics that I propose to identify as “cynical”. In this dissertation, we use cynicism as a theoretical approach that makes possible new interpretations of artistic, cultural, and political expressions that have entered into conflict with dominant value systems. Through different narrative genres and idioms (novel, short story, literary essays and performance), these authors’ shared discursive universe expresses a discomfort with the world and reflects on the existential conflicts of the Mexican social subject. The authors appropriate writing, the body and sexuality as prime material for the denunciation of the political devices that configure social categories, as well as the canons and norms that regulate the cultural environment’s ethical and aesthetic codes. At the same time, by taking bodily and written languages to the extremes of abjection, the body and sexuality emerge in these productions as an irruption and displacement of official discourses. Armando Ramírez gives his novel a the cynical dimension by using the violence of language and sexual assault to denounce, with the voice of the subjugated, a long history of class conflict. In Guillermo Fadanelli, cynicism expresses itself through the destruction of universal discourses that give linear meaning to existence. Fadanelli profanes writing, literary genres, the family as a social institution, the maternal figure and sexual taboos. For her part, Rocío Boliver’s work becomes cynical when she questions the absence of a positive representation of female sexuality and old age. She resorts to disidentification with the Catholic religion and the mechanisms of capitalization of the body. This allows me to situate these three authors in the Western, and especially Mexican, cynical tradition, as this dissertation also recognizes the historical presence of critical cynicism in Mexico’s cultural production and in the construction of its national identities. / El presente proyecto de investigación explora el universo narrativo de tres autores mexicanos: Armando Ramírez, Guillermo Fadanelli y Rocío Boliver. Aparentemente disímiles entre sí, sus respectivas obras comparten un carácter que aquí proponemos identificar como cínico. El cinismo, como enfoque teórico, abre las posibilidades interpretativas de manifestaciones artísticas, culturales y políticas en las que se observa una fricción con los sistemas de valores dominantes. A través de distintos lenguajes (novela, cuento, ensayo y performance), el universo discursivo de estos tres autores expresa un malestar con el mundo, reflexiona sobre los conflictos existenciales del sujeto social mexicano y se apropia de la escritura, del cuerpo y de la sexualidad como material de denuncia. Con ello, exhibe los dispositivos políticos con los que son configuradas las categorías sociales, así como los cánones y normas que regulan los códigos éticos y estéticos del entorno cultural. Al mismo tiempo, el cuerpo y la sexualidad emergen en estas producciones como una irrupción y desplazamiento de los discursos al llevar a los extremos de la abyección el ejercicio pleno del lenguaje corporal y escrito. En el caso de Armando Ramírez, el carácter cínico se construye a partir de la violencia del lenguaje y del ataque sexual para denunciar, desde la voz del sector dominado, el histórico conflicto de clases sociales. En Guillermo Fadanelli el cinismo se expresa a partir de la destrucción de los grandes relatos que le dan un sentido lineal a la existencia. Este autor profana la escritura, los géneros literarios, la familia, la figura materna y los tabúes sexuales. Por su parte, la obra de Rocío Boliver se torna cínica cuando cuestiona la ausencia de una representación positiva de la sexualidad y de la vejez femenina, y recurre a la desidentificación con la religión católica y con los mecanismos de capitalización del cuerpo. Lo anteriormente dicho nos permite ubicar a estos tres autores en una tradición cínica no sólo occidental sino particularmente mexicana, ya que este ensayo también reconoce históricamente la presencia del cinismo crítico en la producción cultural del país y en la construcción de las identidades nacionales.

No description available.

L’art abject est entré comme terme et comme concept dans le dictionnaire du monde de l’art dans les années 1990. Son utilisation a été consacrée par l’exposition Abject Art : Repulsion and Desire in American Art du Whitney Museum en 1993 qui a, de surcroît, influencé les critères établis pour déterminer si une œuvre est considérée, dans l’imaginaire collectif, comme étant abjecte. Cette exposition a ainsi véhiculé une compréhension de l’art abject comme étant, d’un point de vue matériel, à la fois dégoûtant et fascinant. Lors de la recherche menée pour ce mémoire, il a notamment été question d’élargir le concept d’art abject pour qu’il recouvre dorénavant des œuvres représentant des identités appartenant à des communautés marginalisées par un pouvoir ou une identité dominante. Plus précisément, nous nous sommes penchés.es sur des œuvres exposant des identités abjectes par rapport à une identité dominante allégoriquement hétéro-homo-normative masculine et occidentale s’exprimant par l’entremise du tableau de 1814 peint par Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres, La grande odalisque. Ce tableau est devenu le dénominateur commun d’analyse pour nos trois études de cas, soit les œuvres Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum? des Guerrilla Girls, Tapestry de J J Levine et La Grande Intendante de 2Fik. Ces œuvres – toutes trois ayant été exposées au Canada depuis l’an 2000 – ont permis de questionner la définition dominante de l’art abject. Elles font conjointement parties d’un grand dialogue, à la fois contemporain et transhistorique, visant à explorer le potentiel didactique de l’abjection, afin de comprendre le pouvoir subversif et transformateur contenu dans ce type de création. En effet, en utilisant les techniques d’autoreprésentation et de réappropriation de motif, les artistes issus.es de communautés abjectées neutralisent ultimement leur abjection, leur déshumanisation et leur aliénation politique contemporaine et produisent une culture dont les représentations sont plus inclusives. / Abject art is a term and concept introduced in the art dictionary in the 1990s. Its use was enshrined in the Whitney Museum's 1993 exhibition Abject Art: Repulsion and Desire in American Art, which further established the criteria for work to be considered in the collective imagination as abject. This exhibition thus conveyed an understanding of abject art as being, from a material perspective, both disgusting and fascinating. Part of the research for this study is focussed on expanding the concept of abject art to include works that represent identities that have been marginalized by a dominant identity. Specifically, we examine works that expose abject identities in relation to an allegorical dominant hetero-homo-normative Western male identity expressed in Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres' 1814 painting La grande odalisque. This painting became the common denominator of analysis for our three case studies: the Guerrilla Girls' Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?, J J Levine's Tapestry and 2Fik's La Grande Intendante. These works - all of which have been exhibited in Canada since the year 2000 - have allowed us to question the dominant definition of abject art. Their analysis also sparks a larger contemporary and transhistorical dialogue that explores the didactic potential of abjection in which these types of creation contain a subversive and transformative power. By using techniques of self-representation and motif reappropriation, artists from abjected communities ultimately neutralize their abjection, dehumanization and contemporary political alienation to produce a culture that is more inclusive in its representations.

No description available.

This dissertation studies the intersection of knowledge, culture, and power in contested coastal and estuarine space in eighteenth-century northeastern North America. It examines the interdependence of vernacular pilot knowledge and directed hydrographic survey, their integration into practices of warfare and governance, and roles in assimilating American space to metropolitan scientific and aesthetic discourses. It argues that the embodied skill and local knowledge of colonial and Aboriginal peoples served vital and underappreciated roles in Great Britain’s extension of overseas activity and interest, of maritime empire. It examines the maritimicity of empire: empire as adaptation to marine environments through which it conducted political influence and commercial endeavour. The materiality of maritime empire—its reliance on patterns of wind and current, on climate and weather, on local relations of sea to land, on proximity of spaces and resources to oceanic circuits—framed and delimited transnational flows of commerce and state power. This was especially so in coastal and riverine littoral spaces of northeastern North America. In this local Atlantic, pilot knowledge—and its systematization in marine cartography through hydrographic survey—adapted processes of empire to the materiality of the maritime, and especially to the littoral, environment. Eighteenth-century British state agents acting in northeastern North America—in Mi’kmaqi/Acadia/Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and New England—developed new means of adapting this knowledge to the tasks of maritime empire, creating potent tools with which to extend Britain’s imperial power and influence amphibiously in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. If the open Atlantic became a maritime highway in this period, traversed with increasing frequency and ease, inshore waters remained dangerous bypaths, subject to geographical and meteorological hazards that checked overseas commercial exchange and the military and administrative processes that constituted maritime empire. While patterns of oceanic circulation permitted extension of these activities globally in the early modern period, the complex interrelation of marine and terrestrial geography and climate in coastal and estuarine waters long set limits on maritime imperial activity. This dissertation examines the nature of these limits, and the means that eighteenth-century British commercial and imperial actors developed to overcome them.

My visual art practice explores the point at which a sense of bodily humour and revulsion may intersect in the world of the monstrous-feminine: the female grotesque, presented as my own obese (and post-obese) body. This exegesis is a written elucidation of my visual art practice as research. As an artist I create performative photographic images featuring taboo or otherwise 'inappropriate' subject matter, situations, materials and behaviours including bodily fluids, offal, internal organs and my own post-obese body. Through these modes of working, I establish and investigate the subjectivity of flesh: Why are we repulsed by the female grotesque? How can this flesh be used to subvert readings of the female body? My research is informed by those understandings of the female body, sexuality and difference described in the work of feminist theorists including Julia Kristeva, Helene Cixous, Ruth Salvaggio and Elizabeth Grosz. I explore the work of influential artists such as Eleanor Antin, Carolee Schneeman, Cindy Sherman and Sarah Lucas. In this context, I present my own visual art practice as a point from which the monstrous-feminine can be given voice as sentient, intelligent flesh.