African Heritage at the Heart of Bodily Hybridization in ORLAN's Work

This article aims to analyze how openness to otherness and the exploration of African heritage influence contemporary artistic creation, taking ORLAN’s work as a case study. The study focuses particularly on the “Self-Hybridations” series, in which the artist integrates elements from African masks and ritual forms by merging them with her own face. This approach, based on hybridity and intercultural dialogue, goes beyond mere aesthetic appropriation to question representations of the body and identity in the era of digital technologies. By employing technological tools, ORLAN creates hybrid self-portraits in which the biological, cultural, and virtual dimensions intersect. The analysis highlights how African heritage is reinvested in contemporary art, while revealing the universal and renewed significance of artistic creation.