Pussy Purses, 2024
I created this series of vulva coin purses during my time in the Bridgework 09 Emerging Artist Mentorship Program.
Feeling sexualized and objectified has become an overarching theme throughout my body of work. I often choose to navigate these sensitive and personal topics through the use of traditional women’s craft, linguistic comparisons, a sense of humor. Pussy Purses investigates themes of sexualization and objectification by playing on the strange linguistic comparison often made between vulvas and coin purses. The addition of heart shaped padlocks and secret handwritten notes offer opportunities to reflect on how being made to feel like a sexual object affects how I approach intimacy and vulnerability.
The symbol of a purse is one that is easily recognizable as feminine and functional, falling into a category of objects I refer to as “mementos of womanhood”. While traditionally purses function as place holders for a lack of pockets or status symbols; Pussy Purses resemble the familiar functional object in likeness, but offer neither traditional purpose nor status. Instead, the carefully stitched satin vulvas exist as stagnant representations of intimate parts, absolved of their original purpose, put on display for the viewer to study and ponder.
Heart shaped padlocks pushed through labial folds keep the most intimate parts hidden away, photographical representations offering only glimpses at the silky interiors and hand written sentiments that lie beyond the metal clasps. Intricately stitched cat hair acts as pubic hair, while humorously playing on the negative associations made between cats, women, and female genitalia.
Through the representation of female genitalia in the form of functional objects, Pussy Purses expresses sexual objectification in a literal way, while the added symbols of cat hair, padlocks, and personal writings allude to my own personal issues with intimacy and vulnerability.