When we talk about art, we often question its relationship with human culture and the artist themselves. After so many centuries of changes in the parameters of this craft, we no longer know for sure what is or isn’t considered artistic. Between sculptures, canvases, performances or even clothes, discovering our limits with art becomes a complex labyrinth.
In fact, one thing seems to stand out amid so much reflection: art has both a direct and indirect relationship with the pain of those who create or experience a work. This pain can manifest through artistic mechanisms – whether it’s a painter working for so many hours that they can no longer feel their own arm, an artist turning their anguish into a spectacle, or someone enduring intense physical pain purely for the sake of a beautiful piece.
For example, at the 2025 amfAR Gala, a charity event held during the Cannes Film Festival, celebrity Marina Ruy Barbosa debuted a stunning Balmain dress on the red carpet. But what truly drew attention – apart from the beauty of the garment and the actress – was her completely purple left arm.
Marina justified what happened in a comment on TikTok: “The dress weighed more than 15 kg”. Can you imagine the difficulty of walking with an extra 15 kilograms – and even compromising your own arm? Despite this, the actress spoke publicly and thanked the label for the opportunity to wear the dress, which was custom-made for her.
For some, a little pain is necessary when the end result is beautiful or powerful. But is art really capable of enduring a form of suffering as complex as human pain? When did getting hurt – or using pain – become normalizedl in art?
Art and emotional pain: a mutual relationship
If we get a closer look at the artistic field, we can see that many creators use it as a way to channel their inner pain. One of the first art movements to clearly demonstrate this was Expressionism, an artistic and literary avant-garde that emphasizes a certain distortion of reality through emotional subjectivity, often producing much darker works.
Making a piece of art more disturbing or profound was a widely used method of exposing hurt or anguish. Without the emotional charge infused in a creation, many works would not be as nearly as impactful. In this sense, pain ceases to be merely a human condition and becomes a tool – a means of producing intense and meaningfull works.
In her book The Danger of Being Lucid, author and jornalist Rosa Montero, explores the connection between the creative process and psychological turmoil. She draws on a series of psychological studies, and accounts from renowned artists, and makes scientifically grounded arguments about the influence of emotional instability on art.
Many artists have demonstrated remarkable brilliance during periods of intense inner tumoil. By channeling this overwhelmingand distressing burden into the creative process,they have produced some of the most significant works of their careers. Rosa says that some creators even refused medical or psychological treatment, believing that if they lost their pain, they would also lose their talent.
On one side are our illnesses, our more or less serious disabilities, and on the other is the art that allows us to endure them.
– Excerpt from the book The Danger of Being Lucid, by author and jornalist Rosa Montero.
This relationship appears somewhat ambiguous. On one hand, there are those who aim to convey emotional weight through artistic expression – whether as creators or as consumers. On the other hand, there are those who pursue this expression obsessively: individuals willing to sacrifice their own health in order to create or to feel.
However, some artists view this very obsession with both art and pain as a form of fulfillment, both professionally and personally. This is where the conversation about limits becomes even more complex.
The symbolic physical: means and consequence
If we reflect a little more deeply on everything that qualifies as art, we realize that it’s not only the emotional realm at stake, but the physical as well – tested in a variety of ways, whether healthy or harmful.
Perhaps one of the oldest and most classic examples is dance. The pursuit of technical perfection and expressive movement through the body can be as beautiful as it is exhausting. Dancers push their limits to the extreme, enduring injuries, muscular stress, and physical wear through intense, rigorous training.
Martial arts and circus arts can also be referenced, as the bodys of those who practice these forms of performance are inevitably put at risk. However, for these artists, the visual impact and beauty inherent in their work often compensate for the suffering involved in the process. The passion comes out on top.
Also, with the advancement of modern technologies and globalization, many came to believe that art also needed to evolve. The rise of consumerism, the acceleration of information and the emergence of the internet led artists to rethink how their works were produced, distributed, and received by the public.
A puerly aesthetic and formal approach was no longer enough to sustain artistic evolution. As a result, there emerged an urgent need to interact with an increasingly alienated public. It was during the second half of the 20th century that the physical body took on a far more symbolic role in art.
Some contemporary arts were great pioneers in this regard. The human body became a support, a canvas, and even the exhibition itself. In Body Art, tattoos, body paintings and scarifications gained visibility. In Performance Art, the artist relies on the presence of the body and ephemerality, performing almost theatrical experiences.
For contemporary artist Marina Abramovic, pain is not left out of the conversation. Throughout her extensive career, she has tested the limits of her body in countless ways – even losing consciousness during some performances.
In one of her most intense and violent performances, “Rhythm 0“, Marina placed a variety of objects on a table and invited the audience to use them as they wished. Participants went so far as to cut her skin, tear her clothes and almost kil her with a loaded revolver.
Yet, despite the pain and fear, most of these artists continue – driven by a profound love and dedication – to bring their powerful crations to life.
Is this pain worth it?
This question is so complex that it resists a definitive answer. Many artists incorporate pain into their work to add authenticity and emotional impact, and in doing so, often end up channeling their own inner anguish.
The very act of creating or experiencing a work of art generates a cathartic sense of deept satisfaction and fulfillment. This may have been the case for Marina Ruy Barbosa: even though she was bearing a weight almost too heavy to carry, the sensation of wearing such migh have compensated for the physical pain she felt.
It’s also worth noting that pain in art is never an end in itself. It is always a tool – used to provoke, to transform, or to reach a desired effect, no matter how frightening or difficult to comprehend.
Even so, it is important for the artist to remain aware of their actions. If pain severely compromises their physical health, their work could end up violating ethical boundaries that go beyond artistic practice – as in Chris Burden‘s performance Shoot, in which the artist asked a friend of his to shoot him in the arm.
Pain, above all, communicates, provokes and transforms. It holds value in the depth of the artistic experience and can even evoke a sense of empathy in the audience that engages with it.
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The article above was edited by Maryanna Arison.
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