Alison Lapper
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Alison Lapper (b. 1965) is a British artist who was born without arms.
Alison Lapper was born in 1965 with a condition called phocomelia, which causes a condition similar to that caused by thalidomide. Alison was born without arms and with truncated legs. Her mother met her for the last time when she was four months old. She was institutionalized for her childhood, and is still distant from her relatives.
When she was fitted with artificial limbs, she experienced them only as an attempt to make her look less disconcerting instead of actually helping her. So she abandoned them and learned to live without external aids.
At the age of 19, Lapper left the institution and moved to London. She acquired a driver's license and an apartment. Lapper studied in the University of Brighton and graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Fine Art in 1994.
Lapper uses photography, digital imaging and painting to, as she says, question physical normality and beauty, using herself as a subject. She paints with her mouth. One particular influence is the sculpture Venus de Milo, because it does not have arms, either. She has taken part to various British exhibitions, including in the Royal Festival Hall. She is a member of the Mouth and Foot Painter's Association. In May 2003, Lapper was created an MBE for her services for art.
After she gave birth to her son Parys, who was born fully formed, she created an installation of photographs of herself with him. She also posed for Marc Quinn for the controversial sculpture Alison Lapper Pregnant, sculpture for the empty fourth plinth in London's Trafalgar Square.
External links:
- Alison Lapper (http://www.britart.com/artists/artist1071_all.aspx)