ORLAN

Sungkok Art Museum TECHNOBODY RETROSPECTIVE French artist Orlan has dedicated 51 years to self-reinvention, oftentimes using her own body as a medium to attack the myths of femininity and prescribed beauty. It was particularly extraordinary that the first artist to employ plastic surgery in her practice landed in Seoul for a retrospective exhibition. After all, the Korean nation has normalized the cosmetic procedure, sculpting a singular vision of beauty that ensnares women in the peninsula. The hosting of Orlan, who explores female sexuality’s role in political and personal liberation from predominantly oppressive social conventions, ensured an exhibition at Seoul’s Sungkok Art Museum that was ironic, witty and thought-provoking. “Orlan Technobody Retrospective” featured more than 40 selected works, including videos, photographs, augmented reality and video games that fortified the artist’s personal…