Risa Puleo will look at two types of “monsters”–those persons deviating from the physical norm of a group, be it through difference in ability, race, sex or gender– especially prevalent in 17th Century Europe: hermaphrodites and hirsute women to examine how Baroque portraiture preserves, displays and reproduces the monstrous body. Co-created by early modern gynecology as it intersects with the Spanish colonial project and the rise of collecting art, objects and people, monsters challenged the social categories of Animal and Human; Male and Female in the early modern era and offer an alternative for challenging these categories today. Puleo’s talk will be followed by a discussion moderated by Jennifer Miller.
Risa Puleo Talk: How to Look at Monsters?
Risa Puleo
Risa Puleo is a curator and writer living in Brooklyn, NY.
Jennifer Miller
Jennifer Miller is the founder and director and of Circus Amok, New York’s only free, one ring, no-animal, queer, circus spectacular. She is the author of Cracked Ice or The Jewels of the Forbidden Skates and The Golden Racket. She maintains an ongoing dance practice performing with Cathy Weiss, Jennifer Monson, and John Jaasperse. She is a Professor of Performance at Pratt Institute. She was awarded a “Bessie” (a New York Dance and Performance Award) in 1995 and an OBIE in 2000. She is the recipient of the 2008 Ethyl Eichelberger Award.