Because I Am Hairless, I Am Art - Thanes Wongyannava

Because I Am Hairless, I Am Art
By Thanes Wongyannava

Is art truly an autonomous realm, or is the "aesthetic" merely a sophisticated veil for social and moral regulation?

Traditional discourse often claims that art should be insulated from social constructs and that its value should be judged solely by experts. But if art is truly independent, how do we explain the rigorous policing of the human form throughout history?

In Because I Am Hairless, I Am Art, Thanes Wongyannava strips away the illusions of artistic "autonomy" by tracing the historical evolution of the nude. He investigates the shifting boundaries between the "concealed" and the "revealed," demonstrating that what we define as art is never a neutral evaluation. Instead, he reveals how even the most intimate natural details—specifically pubic hair—have been subjected to varying discursive controls.

"Hair possesses an ethical status within the conduct of life. Although hair is natural, it is—like all things 'natural'—subject to the rigid dictates of cultural organization."
— From the text

Wongyannava connects the history of classical aesthetics to contemporary values, offering a searing analysis of how "Art" has been used to sanitize, discipline, and categorize the body. From the idealized nudes of the Renaissance to the modern "X-rated" image, this book explores the metric of the abstract and the power dynamics that decide when a body is "Art" and when it is "Obscene."


// Table of Contents //

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Aesthetics, Control, and the Art of Transgression

Because I Am Hairless, I Am Art

The Regulation of Gender in Art: From the Nude to the X-Rated

"Limited Nudes" vs. "Unlimited Nudes"


Details
▪️Format : Paperback
▪️Piyavit Tepumnuaysakul : Editor
▪️Designed by ● SM STUDIO | Thananya Danthavornjaroen ●
▪️Published : July 2014
▪️Length : 272 pages
▪️ISBN : 978-616-7196-428
▪️Dimensions (in) : 5.25 x 8.25
▪️Price : 250 THB