Abstract
The image of the foot can be observed as a fetish object in contemporary art practices. Artists such as Sarah Lucas, Yayoi Kusama, and Allen Jones present diverse contemporary representations of the foot image. Through these works, the fragmentation of the female body is not only critiqued but also rethought. In Wesselmann’s figures, the foot appears alongside other body parts; the female image is stripped of face and identity and offered to the viewer’s directed gaze. In Tarantino’s cinema, the foot becomes a persistently emphasized visual element: it occupies the frame, takes center stage in non-verbal narration, and reveals the fetishistic nature of the gaze. This study comparatively discusses the fetishization and fragmentation of the female body through Tom Wesselmann’s “Bedroom” series and foot scenes in Quentin Tarantino’s films, transforming the body into an object of visual consumption. Thus, it aims to reveal—through an interdisciplinary perspective—how the foot is positioned as a fetish object within visual culture and how this representation intertwines with the notions of the female body, desire, and consumption. The study is based on a literature review methodology. Within the context of this research, it is observed that in both artists’ practices, the foot becomes not merely a detail bearing sexual desire, but also a metaphor that comes to represent the entire body.
Presenters
Gülçin KaracaAssistant Professor, Painting, Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey Meryem Özbahar
Student, PhD in Art, Anadolu University, Institute of Graduate Studies in Fine Arts, Eskisehir, Turkey
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
Contemporary Art, Visual Culture, Popular Culture, Consumer Culture, Advertising Aesthetics
