Stelarc (born Στέλιος Αρκαδίου ''Stelios Arcadiou'' in Limassol in 1946; legally changed his name in 1972) is a Cyprus-born Australian performance artist raised in the Melbourne suburb of

Sunshine Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when th ...

, whose works focus heavily on extending the capabilities of the human body. As such, most of his pieces are centered on his concept that "the human body is obsolete". Until 2007 he held the position of principal research fellow in the Performance Arts Digital Research Unit at

Nottingham Trent University Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as a new university in 1992, although its roots go back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham Government School of Design, w ...

in Nottingham, England. He is currently furthering his research at

Curtin University Curtin University, formerly known as Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT), is an Australian public research university based in Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. It is named after John Curtin, ...

in Western Australia.

Performances

Stelarc conference Montréal (5103983046)

Stelarc's idiosyncratic performances often involve robotics or other relatively modern technology integrated with his body. In 26 different performances he has suspended himself in

flesh hook suspension Body suspension means the act of rigging a human body to hang from implements that have been placed through temporary perforations in the skin. A number of health concerns might be associated with the practice, such as excessive bleeding, fainti ...

, often with one of his robotic inventions integrated. His last suspension performance was held in Melbourne in March 2012. In another performance he allowed his body to be controlled remotely by electronic muscle stimulators connected to the internet. He has also performed with a robotic third arm, and a

pneumatic Pneumatics (from Greek ‘wind, breath’) is a branch of engineering that makes use of gas or pressurized air. Pneumatic systems used in Industrial sector, industry are commonly powered by compressed air or compressed inert gases. A central ...

spider-like six-legged walking machine which sits the user in the center of the legs and allows them to control the machine through arm gestures. In 2020, a work by Stelarc entitled ''Reclining Stickman'', a robot sculpture operated by the artist, featured in the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art at the

Art Gallery of South Australia The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), established as the National Gallery of South Australia in 1881, is located in Adelaide. It is the most significant visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of ...

(AGSA). However, AGSA had to temporarily close from 25 March 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, so some of the exhibits are being shown online, along with virtual tours of the exhibition. Stelarc performed with his sculpture in real time, as well as making the videorecording available.

Third ear

In 2007, Stelarc had a cell-cultivated ear surgically attached to his left arm. His longtime collaborator, fellow Australian artist

Nina Sellars Nina Sellars is an artist and Research Fellow at the Alternate Anatomies Lab, School of Design & Art, Curtin University, Perth, Australia. Sellars describes her artwork as focused on "human anatomy and its symbiotic history with arts and techno ...

, photographed this body modification for her piece ''Oblique: Images from Stelarc's Extra Ear Surgery''. Pieces by both artists were included in a group exhibition that received an exhibition review in scientific journal

BMJ ''The BMJ'' is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Origina ...

Works

In 2005, MIT Press published ''Stelarc: The Monograph'' which is the first extensive study of Stelarc's prolific work. It includes images of performances and interviews with several writers including William Gibson, who recount their meetings with Stelarc. In 201
book
on Robots and Art Stelarc reflected on his own work in a chapter titled "Encounters, Anecdotes and Insights—Prosthetics, Robotics and Art".

Awards and honors

* In 1995 Stelarc was awarded a three-year fellowship from the

Australia Council for the Arts The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austra ...

. * In 1997

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

appointed him Honorary Professor of Art and Robotics. * In 1998 he was artist-in-residence for the city of Hamburg, Germany. * In 2000 Monash University awarded him an Honorary Degree of Laws. * In March 2003, at The Ohio State University, he completed an artist-in-residence program. * In 2008 he was appointed as senior research fellow and artist-in-residence, MARCS Auditory Laboratories, University of Western Sydney, Australia. * In 2010 Stelarc received the prestigious

Ars Electronica Ars Electronica Linz GmbH is an Austrian cultural, educational and scientific institute active in the field of new media art, founded in Linz in 1979. It is based at the Ars Electronica Center (AEC), which houses the Museum of the Future, in the ...

Golden Nica in the category "Hybrid Art", Linz, Austria.GOLDEN NICAS & GRANT 2010
Ars Electronica

References

External links

Stelarc's - homepage

- Stelarc's old homepage at Virtual Artists
* {{Authority control 1946 births Australian conceptual artists Australian contemporary artists Australian people of Greek Cypriot descent Australian performance artists Australian roboticists Australian transhumanists BioArtists Body art Cypriot emigrants to Australia Living people People known for their body modification Philosophers of art Philosophers of science Philosophers of technology Postmodern artists Robotic art People from Sunshine, Victoria