Three Moments in the History of the Artistic Genius and the Prostitute: From Absence to Agency
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2025-08-27
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en
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In this essay, I demonstrate the relevance of the opposition between the figures of the prostitute and the artistic genius in the art vs. porn debate through a description of three distinct moments in the relationship of the prostitute towards art: (1) the prostitute as absent, neither subject nor object of genius, (2) the prostitute as object of genius or the artist, (3) the sex worker as artist. Thereby I establish that, while the figure of the prostitute is historically, through a process of (re)mystification and abstraction, opposed to the artistic genius and denied artistic agency, certain pornographic artists today are capable of presenting their own pleasure as art, claiming their place within the realm of art production and aesthetics.
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Faculteit der Filosofie, Theologie en Religiewetenschappen