Karen Finely by Morgan Reed

Karen Finely by Morgan Reed

Karen Finely is a performance artist. Sexual violence, AIDS, female sexuality, and suicide are all topics that she tends to explicitly prevail. She blames her exaggerated emotions on family that might have been considered a bit dysfunctional. Some might view her as a bit extreme, considering she used her breast milk to paint on a black page rather than using the paintbrushes and tools that were accessible to her. Finely is known for upsetting people who do not have the same views as her, however she is cautious that there are boundaries that need to be kept. She claims that she uses art to create social change. She unfortunately has lost friends to AIDS so she has a special performance that honors them using a dramatic reading and a piano as well as a flute. Finely is looked up to by many and is clearly honored by her talents, she has been on the cover of Playboy magazine and Time magazine and has been named Ms. Magazine women of the year. Her extreme ways of conveying her beleifs cannot be overlooked once seen. 

Works Cited

Potier, Beth. "Harvard Gazette: Karen Finley Provokes, Reveals in Lecture." Harvard Gazette: Karen Finley Provokes, Reveals in Lecture. Gazette Staff, 14 Feb. 2002. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/02.14/06-finley.html>.

Robinson, Marcene. "Karen Finley to Visit UB and Debut New Performance." - University at Buffalo. 15 Oct. 2013. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2013/10/033.html>.




Morgan D. Reed