Photography – Carolee Schneemann

Eye Body: 36 Transformative Actions (1963)

35mm black & white film

Photographed by Erró

Eye Body was Schneemann’s first use of her physical body as an active agent in her art work. The piece was a performance of sorts, but was displayed through the photographs taken by the Icelandic photographer, Erró. The piece revolved around Scheemann’s naked body interacting with objects such as: paint, plastic, feathers, plastic snakes, glass, ect. This was the beginning of her journey in using the human body as a new organic form of canvas, because, as the artist, stated herself, “…I establish my body as a visual territory.”

Infinity Kisses (1981 – 88)

Self shot photos on 35mm film

With 140 photos, this piece by Schneemann is a funny and disturbing take on a woman’s relationship with her pet cat. Cats seem to have always held a strong emotional tie to Schneeman, she uses them throughout a lot of her work. This piece not only expresses her love for the animal, but the over-exaggerated bond that people assume women have with their cats.

In 2008 she recreated the piece as Infinity Kisses II and made a film titled Infinity Kisses – The Movie.

Hand/Heart for Ana Mendieta (1986)

Center panel: Chromaprints of actions – paint, blood, ashes, and syrup on snow
Side panels: Acrylic paint, chalk, and ashes on paper

This piece was created as an homage to the recently deceased Ana Mendieta whose work incorporated her body in the natural landscape. This piece shows that Schneemann still had strong roots in painting and it was a very comfortable medium for her to work in, especially when dealing with the death of a friend and colleague.