Gustave Courbet, L’origine du monde (Origin of the world), 1866
We commissioned a group of 13 international artists to produce a collection of interpretations of the vagina called FLOWERS OF LIFE.
By presenting these different visions and distinct lenses we aspire to push this vital cultural conversation forward and help transform our beliefs around the vagina.
The image of a vagina is mostly non-existent in the art world. It’s often seen as too taboo rather than the powerful muse that she is. Yet how can something so exquisite, human and vital not inspire great works of art?
The vagina, the flower of life, is a wonder of nature, a sacred symbol of creation. Universally shared, yet always uniquely expressed through a complex variety of form, pattern and palette.
For centuries our relationship to the vagina has been colored with guilt and embarrassment. Still to this day, women all over the world are told to hide and be ashamed of their bodies, their vaginas being the epicenter.
We rarely see vaginas in our current culture and media, and if we do, most likely it’s in the context of pornography. Having such a limited vulgarized relationship with our body is both disempowering and disingenuous.
Participating Artists
Loutje Hoekstra (Netherlands)
Philippe Stella (Belgium)
Angu Walters (Cameroon)
Polly Verity (U.K.)
Alice Walton (U.K.)
Sam Chirnside (Australia)
Tatianna Filidonos (Canada)
Michael Hutter (Germany)
Director Jacq (Unknown)
Shannon Rankin (USA)
Wang Ge (Hawaii)
Marisa Papen + Michael Chichi (Hawaii)
Mediums
oil painting, watercolor, origami, digital art, vellum collage, porcelain sculpture, ink, photography, embroidery and sand painting.
FLOWERS OF LIFE is available as a limited edition series of prints and book / manifesto. To learn more, please visit our shop.
