Luxembourg performance artist Deborah de Robertis, known for challenging cultural norms surrounding the female body, has overcome controversy to showcase her provocative work, “Mirror of Origin,” at Centre Pompidou-Metz.
I raped the museums, from the Musée d’Orsay to the Louvre. I forced my way into the Centre Pompidou Metz to introduce my work. The violence of my gestures and words is merely a reflection of the violence of the men in power in the art world.
Deborah de Robertis
Ten years after being initially rejected, de Robertis’ art is finally displayed between works by Fontana and VALIE EXPORT. The strategic placement emphasizes her intent to question the treatment of the female body in art and spark conversations on gaze and voyeurism in a patriarchal society.
The artwork, featuring de Robertis naked under Gustave Courbet’s “The Origin of the World,” disrupts traditional notions of passivity associated with female models. Her triumph is attributed to audacity, perseverance, and a legitimate desire for representation.
My determination to get my photo into this magnificent exhibition was anything but opportunistic; it was an instinctive, visceral gesture—a vital scream.
Deborah de Robertis
Engaging with the #MeToo movement, de Robertis uses her performance art to explore themes of abuse of power, sexuality, and consent. Her unconventional approach challenges traditional art conventions, confronting viewers with their own discomfort and voyeuristic tendencies. Deborah de Robertis has secured her place in the conversation surrounding the treatment of the female body in art through audacity and perseverance.
I owe this feminist victory only to my audacity, my perseverance, and my legitimate desire to see my ‘political sex’ hung on the wall.
Deborah de Robertis
Le viol du pouvoir – featuring activists Tatiana Bongonga @tatiana.mosio, Kongi Milka @kongi.23, Le Grain @le.grain___, Angie Satz-Wolf @angieswolf
