Another artist i wanted to look at for my contemporary art unit is Sarah Lucas, mainly because i think her work is so interesting but i don't know much about her and her process, even though i think i would like to and i would find it interesting... lets see.
Born in 1962 she is an English artist and part of the Young British Artists (that emerged during the 1990). Her work seems to be very full of puns and funny... Punny. It include photography, collage and found objects.The first work i noticed and wanted to look closer at is a series of self portraits she made from 1990–98.
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| Eating a Banana |
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| Divine |
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| Self portrait with mug of tea |
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| Self portrait with knickers |
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| Self portrait with fried eggs |
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| Human Toilet 2 |
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| Fighting fire with fire |
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| Self portrait with skull |
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| Got a salmon on #3 |
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| Summer |
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| Smoking |
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| Human Toilet Revisited 1998 |
I get a the sense these works are playing with the idea of identity and gender rolls that are stemmed from stereotypes. I think the way she has positioned herself in these are so interesting because they are not male or female, not masculine or feminine. The poses are a mix of strength and vulnerability that i find very gripping. These remind me so much of the grungy 90's. The kind of visuals you see on 90's films, very dramatic in a way... I would describe it as grimy British romance.
I grew up in the 90's so women dressing more masculine and issues with identity is something i grew up around. I am now a young adult in a time where, i think, we are in a world of political correctness has gone a bit mad. We are trying to socially evolve but still keeping one foot back because of my view on this,that i wont go into on this post i feel in some of the images in this work is highlighting issues that are very relevant now.
This image is absolutely brilliant!
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| Chicken Knickers |
So obviously this photo is of a chicken placed on a Lucas's front roughly the position of her vulva. To me this could be saying so many things, it could be making a connection between the vagina and and cold dead meat, the amount women and female genitalia goes through it could be associated with cheap,easily accessed and disposable meat.
It could be talking about how the female form is abused and prepped for consumption. It could be about the vagina being objectified, i think this because her face is not in the image, just her lower half. It is also very disgusting, i think. The vagina is so beautiful and this is portraying it as cold and dead.
The female reproductive organs, have always been the most important thing. Its obviously how we procreate.
' Protect the women and children'
Yet we were and are objectified, owned and consumed, like food.
But the ultimate reason i like it is because, its just a chicken on a pair of pants.
I read more and i found out Lucas has been using food as a way to represent human genitalia since the 90s. One of the ways she does this is 'by making physical and literal representations of vernacular terms for bodies, focusing, in particular, on sexual body parts and their connection to foods.' ( http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/lucas-chicken-knickers-p78210 )
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| Au Naturel |
This work obviously suggests male and female body parts, but again, it is just a mattress, a bucket, a pair of melons, oranges and a cucumber... I get the sense of dis-attachment in this work, maybe suggesting our over exposure to sex lets us see sexual objects when in reality it is just an object.Suggesting the way we objectify each other and how we have such a dis attachment from sex and actual human connection. It also talks to me about the way we have to give objects meaning.
This is also someone who's work i want to use for inspiration in my practical work. I really like playing with ideas of identity and sexuality. I also like using photography and think Lucas's work will be a really good source of inspiration.
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