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Redefining Normal

Jennifer Leonforte
Write About Art 6
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The Bearded Lady: a former circus spectacle turned global star. 2014 saw Conchita (Thomas Neuwirth), winner of the popular European singing competition, ‘Eurovision’, turning heads, not only due to her Drag Queen persona, but also the beard she was proudly sporting. The opposing physical characteristics displayed by Conchita—the make-up, the breasts, and the hair against the rough beard and masculine voice—disturbed and outraged people. Leading up to the final, a reported 15,000 Russians demanded their state TV broadcaster remove the ‘hotbed of sodomy’ (Cairns, 2014). The simultaneous horror and celebration, which immediately followed the win, brought queer culture to the global stage, and in particular, the constricting idea of binary gender. However, contrary to popular belief, non-conforming gender expressions have existed throughout the centuries, often being ignored, silenced and marginalised. As art is a common vehicle of self and cultural expression, it has repeatedly been the chosen medium to represent gender fluidity and intersexuality. From Cycladic figurines dating back to c.3000–2800 BCE, to cults worshipping Hermaphroditus, the god of androgyny, who symbolised the powerful union of the two sexes, it is clear that the idea of a ‘middle sex’ has been long entrenched in human kind. Historical attitudes towards intersexuality have fluctuated between worship, censorship and ‘freak show’ voyeurism. However, a growing awareness in our times has allowed the conversation about gender to open up, and it has become clear that the world can no longer settle for the simple terms of ‘man’ and ‘woman’. As Conchita reminds us, gender cannot be intrinsically determined by the biological sex of a person. This grey area between the two dominant gender identities has inspired many interesting works of contemporary art, such as... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline

Jenny Saville, Passage, 2004-2005

Jenny Saville, Passage, 2004-2005. Oil on canvas, 132 1/8 x 114 1/3inches (335.5 x 290.4cm). Courtesy Gagosian Gallery. page 59. Tyza Stewart, Untitled, 2013. Oil on board , 45 x 30cm. Photograph: Sam Scoufos. Courtesy the artist and Heiser Gallery Brisbane.