Born in Saint-Étienne, France, Orlan emerged as a provocative figure in the contemporary art scene during the 1970s. She gained early recognition for her performance art, which utilized her own body as a site for critical inquiry into social and cultural norms.

Her practice, which she terms carnal art, distinguishes itself from traditional body art by focusing on the transformation of the physical form through medical and scientific intervention rather than suffering. She works across a diverse range of media, including sculpture, photography, video, robotics, and artificial intelligence, to interrogate modern social phenomena.

Orlan remains a significant figure in contemporary art, with her early performances now recognized as canonical works. Recent institutional surveys, including retrospectives at the Centre Pompidou, have highlighted her historical impact and the evolution of her practice from subversive performance to a multidisciplinary exploration of technology and the human form.