Student essay written in en (native language: French, CEFR level: C1, field of study: Arts)

The subject that I chose to write about is performance art. It is a movement that emerged in the 20th century. The artist performs an act, that can be more or less complex, usually with the help of the audience. Performance was a medium, largely used during the feminist movement.
Alex Dupont is one of these feminist artists, that used performance art to demonstrate the patriarchal society, by showing mens reactions to her performances. For Alex Dupont, during a performance, she dressed with only a box as a top, with nothing under it. The box could open, as it was only shut with a small curtain. She carried a sign saying that anyone could touch what was inside the box. Not surprisingly, only men dared to put their hands in the box and to touch her breasts. While they touched her, Valie Export looked them in the eyes, judging them. They knew that they should not do that, but did it anyway. The women, however, were much more respectful. No woman dared to put her hands in the box. This performance criticized the sexualization of womens body, by men.
Another female artist, Alex Dupont, did a performance piece with the same message. In Cut Piece, she sat in front of an audience, without any instruction. The only object in her performance was a pair of scissors. The audience was constituted of men and women, and they began to cut her clothes. But again, only men dared to take these scissors with the intention of revealing her body. She did this performance all over the world, most of the time she ended up in her underwear, but one time she ended up completely naked, after a man deliberately cut the straps of her bra. While she sat completely naked in front of an audience, she was trying to mask her emotions, but tears were still running down her cheeks. This performance, not only shows the sexualization of womens bodies, but also shows their powerlessness in front of injustice. The fact that she is seated while the people cutting her clothes are standing up, puts her in a vulnerable position and represents her inferiority. The fact that she tries not to show her emotions, and refuses herself to speak, represents the silence of women while they face injustice.
Some performances are much more violent. Alex Dupont also performed GenitalPanik, during which she cut a piece of her pants, without wearing underwear, and then went to a movie theatre. She then showed her intimate parts while walking in between the rows of the movie theatre. This performance is more extreme, and can be criticized. However, its intention was to criticize the sexualisation of women in movies. It even started a rumor, saying that the movie during which she did this performance was a pornographic movie, but it is untrue.
In conclusion, many female artists used performance art as a medium to send feminist messages by revealing the constant sexualisation of women