A production form in contemporary art: Using the body as an art object

The thesis consists of three main headings. In the first part of the thesis, in order to lay the groundwork for the definition of body; It is tried to be defined physiologically, biologically and conceptually. In addition, it is aimed to focus on the concepts of identity and belonging and the origins of these concepts from primitive times to the present. Again, in this section, while trying to observe the effects of power on the body, the evaluations of the French thinker Michel Foucault are included. In the second part of the thesis, titled "The Relationship between Art and the Body in the 20th and 21st Centuries", the way the body is discussed in the field of art in the 20th and 21st Centuries is mainly examined. At the same time, power-art/power-society/power-individual relations are tried to be observed through the artists' productions. Relatedly, the shaping and transformation of the body as an object - as a sexual/religious or political object - rather than as a biological life form, is also examined in this section. Again in this section, it is emphasized that the productions are mostly shaped by current and popular issues, as art is exposed to the influence of these phenomena. Within the scope of the thesis, it is aimed to raise the question of the benefit of artistic productions in the system, which are thought to circulate within the borders of the government, while on the other hand, the situation of being original/free within these borders is examined. In the third chapter of the thesis, titled "The Body of Me", the body is approached from a subjective perspective and personal processes, experiences and productions are included.