CONTACT / F.A.Q
CONTACT:
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ORLANofficiel/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/madame.de.saint.orlan/
F.A.Q* :
*Frequently Asked Questions, and common mistakes
(FRENCH TRANSLATION BELOW)
COMMON MISTAKES
ORLAN is written in capital letters.
ORLAN has not made plastic surgery throughout her whole life but only from 1986 to 1993.
Why the name ORLAN?
To change your name means to invent yourself.
After a session of psychoanalysis, I realized that I was forgotting some letters of my family name as I signed my name “morte” (dead) on my checks.
I wanted to reuse the syllables which produce a positive connotation while keeping the word “or” (gold), I then added “lan” and from that time I called myself ORLAN.
What is and who is ORLAN today?
I no longer say “I am” but “I are”.
The first part of my work focused on the search for identity and Christian culture.
This Christian culture I discovered and learnt it through art history.
I used the surgery-performances like turning points from 1986 to 1993.
Subsequently, the post-surgery series were made from non-western references (Pre-Colombian, African, American-Indian models, etc).
Are you a feminist?
I am neo-feminist, post-feminist and alter-feminist!
I believe that sex discrimination, machismo and misogyny are inked in all religions, all colors of skin and countries with different degrees.
It is the largest apartheid that exists with millions of women who have no right to education, speech, and without access to medical care. Many are sex slaves confined at home and whom we have the right to beat or even kill. It is impossible to break away from this global problem, even though when you are an artist, you have other problems to deal with.
As an artist, there is often discrimination, even when the professional stakes become serious (exhibitions in galleries, museums, public commissions…). Women artists in most cases are excluded.
Are you a masochist?
I’ve always refused the body as pain.
I celebrate the body as sensual pleasure.
I have always fought against the Christian principles of redemption through pain.
During my surgical operations-performances, the first deal with the surgeon was that I would not hurt during and after surgery.
What’s your point on view on religion?
I didn’t receive any religious education; my parents were libertarian Esperantists, anarchist and anticlerical.
To me, God is not a case of life or work.
Do you have a definition of beauty?
Beauty is constructed by the dominant ideology referring to models that we shall find beautiful.
Why are you interested in Baroque?
The Baroque shows St. Therese feeling ecstasy and erotic pleasure from the angel’s arrow. This contradicts the Christian religion that asks us to choose between good or evil. The Baroque replaces “or” by “and”.
It is a principle involved in many of my works.
How did you start being an artist?
I have always practiced painting, sculpture, poetry, drama.
At first I acted with rebel behavior, then, as time went on, I built my body of works.
Why do you have implants?
I had the idea to get implants which originally are made to enhance cheekbones. I put them on my forehead, which is not deemed within the reach of beauty.
I wanted to bring forth something different.
Why do you choose to alter your body?
I have always questioned the status of the body in within the society and the political, social and religious pressures that are printed in the flesh.
Why do you do surgery?
I’ve chosen to put some face on my face: I develop a work on figuration and re-figuration. It’s a sfumato between presentation and representation.
I had the idea to put a picture that I loved, not by need for surgery, but to invent myself. I wanted to change the image, to make new images.
Why staging your surgical operations?
The operating room would be my artist studio and its aesthetics had to be transformed to change this place in colorful and humorous ways.
I changed the morbid aspect of the operating theatre into a place of performance and life.
I wanted to make a film, videos and photos from these surgical performances.
Each operation was designed from a psychoanalytic text, literary, philosophical as La Robe by Eugenie Lemoine-Luccioni, or Le Tiers Instruit by Michel Serres.
Do you think you will do more surgical operations-performances?
I produced a bust in Carrara marble, which does not mean that I intend to produce this kind of piece my whole life.
I’m not interested in the material but by the idea.
I’m trying to find the proper material to reveal the essence of the idea.
What do you think of plastic surgery?
I’m not against it, that’s a technique of our time.
Yet I’m against its attempts to standardize people.
Why hybridization?
The idea is to mix the differences in order to accept them.
In order to coexist with OTHER and I, who is also ” other “.
Why producing series?
Because we can’t answer an issue in one way ; therefore the series allow to approach an idea from different perspectives.
What is your position in relation to motherhood?
I’m pretty radical on this subject.
The Earth is overpopulated and polluted. One more child means more pollution, and to have many children, as exhorted by religions, is highly anachronistic.
It creates more misery. Everyone solves this problem as she/he wants but it’s a great responsibility to give birth to a human being in this world as our resources are getting poorer.
With contraception and abortion, women are free to choose and live their sexuality out of reproductive purposes.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
COMMON ERRORS
ORLAN is written in capital letters.
ORLAN didn’t undergo plastic surgery all her life, but only from 1986 to 1993.
Why ORLAN ?
Changing one’s name is in the spirit of self-invention.
After a psychoanalysis session, I realized that I was forgetting letters from my parental name and signing “morte” on my checks. I wanted to reuse the syllables that produced a positive connotation by keeping the word “or”, I then added “lan” and from then on, I called myself ORLAN.
Who and what is ORLAN today?
I no longer say “I am” but “I am”.
The first part of my work focuses on the search for Christian identity and culture. I discovered and learned about this Christian culture through art history.
From 1986 to 1993, my surgical performances served as a hinge.
Subsequently, post-operative series were built on non-Western referents (pre-Columbian, African, American-Indian models, etc.).
Are you a feminist ?
I’m a neo-feminist, post-feminist and alter-feminist!
I believe that sexist, macho and mysoginist discrimination is ingrained in every religion, every skin color and every country to varying degrees.
It’s the biggest apartheid there is, with millions of women denied the right to education, the right to speak out, and access to medical care. Many are sex slaves confined to the home, where they can be beaten or even killed. It’s impossible to abstract oneself from this global problem, even if when you’re an artist, you have other problems to deal with.
As an artist, there is often discrimination, even when the professional stakes become serious (exhibitions in galleries, museums, public commissions…).
In most cases, women artists are excluded.
Are you a masochist ?
I’ve always rejected the “pain-body”. I advocate the sensual body, the “body-pleasure”.
I’ve always fought against the Christian principles of redemption through pain.
When I had performance surgery, the first thing I agreed with my surgeon was that I didn’t want any pain during and after the operation.
Where do you stand on religion?
I didn’t have a religious upbringing; my parents were libertarian Esperantists, anarchists and anticlericals.
For me, God is not a life or work hypothesis.
Do you have a definition of beauty ?
Beauty is constructed by the dominant ideology, which designates the models we must find beautiful.
Why are you interested in the Baroque?
The Baroque shows Saint Theresa enjoying the angel’s arrow in an ecstatic and erotic ecstasy.
This contradicts the Christian religion, which asks us to choose between good and evil. Baroque replaces “or” with “and”. It’s a principle that runs through a lot of my work.
How did you become an artist ?
I’ve always practiced painting, sculpture, poetry and theater.
At first I acted with a rebellious attitude, but as time went by my approach took shape.
Why do you have implants ?
I had this idea of getting base implants made to enhance the cheekbones.
I put them on my frontal lobe, which “beauty” isn’t known for. I wanted to make a difference.
Why do you choose to work on your body?
I’ve always questioned the status of the body in society and the political, social and religious pressures that are imprinted on flesh.
Why do you do surgery ?
I chose to put a figure on my face : I’m working on figuration and refiguration. It’s a sfumato between presentation and representation.
I came up with the idea of putting back an image I really liked, not because I needed surgery, but to invent myself. I wanted to change the image, to make new images.
Why stage surgical operations ?
The operating theatre was to be my artist’s studio, and its aesthetics were to be transformed in colorful and humorous ways.
I change the morbid aspect of the operating theatre into a place of performance and life.
My idea was to create a film, videos and photos based on the surgical performances.
Each operation is based on a psychoanalytical, literary or philosophical text such as La robe by Eugénie Lemoine-Luccioni, or Le Tiers Instruit by Michel Serres.
Do you plan to repeat performance surgery ?
I’ve produced a bust in Carrara marble, but that doesn’t mean I intend to create one for the rest of my life.
I’m not interested in the material but in the idea.
I try to find the right materiality to reveal the essence of the idea.
What do you think of cosmetic surgery?
I’m not against it, it’s a technique of our time.
On the other hand, I’m opposed to the attempts at standardization and normalization it reflects.
Why hybridize?
The idea is to blend differences so as to accept them.
To be in coexistence with the OTHER and I who is also another.
Why choose to create series?
Because there’s no one way to approach a theme; the series allows us to approach an idea from different angles.
What is your position on maternity care ?
I’m pretty radical about it. The Earth is overpopulated and polluted. One more child means more pollution, and having lots of children, as recommended by religions, is extremely anachronistic.
This creates even more misery. Everyone solves this problem as they see fit, but it’s a great responsibility to bring a human being into the world and onto our Earth at a time when resources are running out.
With contraception and abortion, women have the freedom to choose and live their sexuality outside the realm of reproduction.