Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« Lawmakers Don't Get GET: Prepaid Tu… | New Game! What Phrase Will Republic… »

Friday, January 11, 2013

Visual Art Good Job, Whatshertits: Niki de Saint Phalle

Posted by Jen Graves on Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 12:07 PM

^{This post is part of a series.}

Since we're talking about Niki de Saint Phalle today, here's her piece in Elles at SAM, at right:

(The other artist, pictured at left, is Orlan, who has remade her body to resemble the body parts of various works of art, using plastic surgery.)

(The other artist, pictured at left, is Orlan, who has remade her body to resemble the body parts of various works of art, using plastic surgery.)

De Saint Phalle made this teeny-headed, enormous-bodied, garter-belted figure—called Crucifixion—in 1965, after the Shooting Paintings. This is the somewhat terrifying view you get when you look up at the crucified body (there's something awful and Otto Dix-y about her).

It's one thing to look up into a vagina, but it's another to walk right through one. A year later, de Saint Phalle came up with this, in Stockholm:

Queue up!

Inside was a movie theater (in her head), a planetarium, an aquarium, and a milk bar (in one breast).

Elles: Women Artists from the Centre Pompidou closes Sunday.

FacebookShare

Comments (5) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Yeah uhmmm pass. Whats next? Elephant dung smeared onto a portrait of the virgin mary?

Posted by Kinison

on January 11, 2013 at 12:36 PM

I had the opportunity to visit il Giardino Dei Tarocchi when I was in Italy - absolutely crazy, but in a good crazy way.

I really like her work although I'm not a fan of everything she did.

Posted by Jenerate

on January 11, 2013 at 12:45 PM

This work is, uhhh, challenging my sensibilities.

Posted by seandr on January 11, 2013 at 2:25 PM

The "walking into a vagina" is similar to a "St Elsewhere" episode. The hospital hired an artist for an installation. The artist was walking through the hospital for inspiration.

Posted by the 80's on January 11, 2013 at 3:54 PM