Ananova:

An Australian performer has been criticised for having an ear grafted onto his forearm in the name of art.

Cyprus-born Stelios Arcadiou, known as Stelarc, describes his extra ear as an "augmentation of the body's form".

But surgeons questioned whether such an operation should have been carried out without medical grounds, reports the BBC.

And a patient who had similar surgery to correct a birth defect said she found the artist's work offensive.

Stelarc, aged 61, admitted it had taken him years to find a surgeon prepared to perform the operation.

The ear does not function, but he hopes to have a microphone implanted to allow others to listen to what his extra ear picks up.

Reality TV star and model Sasha Gardner was born with one ear missing and recently took the first steps to have plastic surgery to rebuild the ear.

She said: "He views this as art but I personally find it offensive. This is not something people should be using as an expression of art."

Mr Francis Wells, a surgeon at Papworth Hospital, said: "This will provoke a reaction. I would not condemn him for it, but it could cause some people distress.

"There are a lot of people who have lost an ear in an accident who cannot easily have that ear replaced. This type of reconstruction is expensive."