Everything humans do is controversial. Any expression of individuality is questioned, criticized. But if we only lived for the approval of others, we’d not likely be happy. I admire artists because they create for themselves, above all else, expressing their inner being. Of course they care about that message being received by others, but they aren’t afraid to defy what is culturally-accepted as "normal" and are, in a sense, provocateurs. One such artist is Marilyn Minter whose "Pretty/Dirty" exhibit I recently saw at the Orange County Museum of Art. People like Minter encourage others to step out of their comfort zone and appreciate all kinds of beauty, perverted as they may be, or, on the contrary, question the authenticity of what they have always believed to be beautiful.
Part of the exhibit was titled “Wet,” a gallery focusing on “licking, dripping, and devouring mouths..." that were strangled by or vomiting up jewels, "commenting on [society's] seemingly inexhaustible desire for wealth and glamour.” One painting, Glazed, was a close-up shot of a bright blue eye with popping pink and turquoise glitter packed so thickly onto the surrounding skin and lashes it left no traits of a human face behind. The eye seemed to drown in the decor, which made it look more like a dinosaur’s scaly skin than a human's.
Another close-up, Torrent, hung nearby. Smeared red lipstick covered a parted mouth, teeth possessively biting down on a string of shiny pearls. We can never seem to get enough of shine and sparkle, so much so that we literally gobble it up. Thin ice- blue streaks ran down the image, like melting ice. The girl’s heavy breathing seemed to defrost the canvas just enough for an outsider to see her, the ice queen, beneath--superficial, dangerous, obsessed.
The eerie feeling I got looking at her exhibit was exactly what Minter was trying to communicate, to jolt me out of my zone of comfort and familiarity and provide an "up-close" perspective on things most may consider normal. The images showed that beauty isn’t always what we make it out to be – or rather, it’s what we make it, with our knack for makeup and primping. Especially women alter who they are and what they look like for others, or maybe even themselves. When we do things that betray who we are, it becomes difficult to recognize ourselves later. Despite makeup and gems being everyday go-to's we don't question, the humans in Minter's paintings looked demonic and abnormal. We only covet extra things to fit in and perpetuate the undefined conception of “normal.” And yet, wanting to be accepted is a basic human instinct. In adding artificial layers-glitter, powder, dye-we step away from the way we were made (human), even though the desire to be better is, in itself, human, too. That’s what Minter’s art achieved – it made me rethink what is normal.
