Wednesday, May 28, 2008

What to make of this...

The exhibit 'Cherry Pop' by artist Jahan Loh deals with the tearing of the hymen, presumably in intercourse, of virgin women by using graphic sculpture of women bleeding massive amounts of blood along with paintings of women presumably experiencing sexual pleasure.

image via hypebeast

I find it interesting how these sculptures are faceless, much like other images of women in the media as headless bodies. This type of imagery commodifies women and takes away their humanity: these are images of appropriate femininity, but not actual women. Furthermore, the fetishization of the hymen blood signifies the cultural mythology behind the virgin women ideal. I find this art to be thought provoking, but I am not sure what I think of it yet. What do you think?