The performative work of Itziar Okariz focuses on questioning the most ingrained social conventions. Among her works, To Pee in Public and Private Spaces (2000–2004), was developed as a series of actions in various private and public spaces, where the artist, dressed in black, urinated standing up like a man. Despite the videographic minimalism, often captured in the simplest means such as this single-channel video, Okariz’s performance invites viewers to consider how the body is shaped by social constructs.
The artist has always chosen spaces with social or symbolic significance in which to execute her urinary action: in New York City, for example, she used 167 Greenpoint Landing, on Greenpoint Avenue; the luxurious SoHo Grand Hotel; River Street in Brooklyn - where she urinated on a car - and the Brooklyn Bridge. In one of her actions, at the Pulansky Bridge in the State of New Jersey, she performs while carrying her daughter, then a baby. The presence of her daughter, dressed like her in black and almost indistinguishable, projects an image of maternity and motherhood.
Standing across from Okariz’s performance video, Atelier Van Lieshout’s Horn of Plenty (2008) captivates with its ambiguous form. Is it the image of a mother, tenderly embracing her children? A fertility deity, proudly presenting her offspring? Or something more unsettling — a figure of servitude, offering her children as sacrifice?
By showcasing a set of subversive actions, such as urinating while standing up or questioning the role of motherhood, these works challenge the expectations placed on the female body within social frameworks, both in the personal sphere and the public space. Going against the grain of cultural constructs – a recurring theme of both Atelier Van Lieshout and Okariz - is perhaps where the true horn of plenty lies.
The artist has always chosen spaces with social or symbolic significance in which to execute her urinary action: in New York City, for example, she used 167 Greenpoint Landing, on Greenpoint Avenue; the luxurious SoHo Grand Hotel; River Street in Brooklyn - where she urinated on a car - and the Brooklyn Bridge. In one of her actions, at the Pulansky Bridge in the State of New Jersey, she performs while carrying her daughter, then a baby. The presence of her daughter, dressed like her in black and almost indistinguishable, projects an image of maternity and motherhood.
Standing across from Okariz’s performance video, Atelier Van Lieshout’s Horn of Plenty (2008) captivates with its ambiguous form. Is it the image of a mother, tenderly embracing her children? A fertility deity, proudly presenting her offspring? Or something more unsettling — a figure of servitude, offering her children as sacrifice?
By showcasing a set of subversive actions, such as urinating while standing up or questioning the role of motherhood, these works challenge the expectations placed on the female body within social frameworks, both in the personal sphere and the public space. Going against the grain of cultural constructs – a recurring theme of both Atelier Van Lieshout and Okariz - is perhaps where the true horn of plenty lies.
