Tuesday, November 1, 2011

adam and eve 2000

      This work was done in 1974 as enameled copper plates. They represent a power confrontation between the sexes. The woman's fetus has no hands and feet due to pharmacological interventions (thalidomide). Her breasts are armored and her hand wants to protect the child against male aggression and technology.
      The man has a mechanical heart, holds in his hand the Orb, symbol of Christianity, which can imply the historical devaluation of women fostered by male-empowered religious values and customs.
      The three penises were not due to a Freudian slip. As I was working with tracing paper on the floor, three tracings of a single penis shifted and suddenly I saw three penises instead of one. The image was much more powerful due to its more prominent size and its relation to the female counterpart. That was it!
       At the first exhibition of the artwork in Chicago in 1974, I heard a man ask the question to his wife, "What is he going to do with the other two?" I almost cracked up because I was standing right behind him.
       Some thirty-five years later, since I still owned the artwork, I told my friend about the spectator's comment. She looked at the artwork and nonchalantly replied, "He is going to use them as spares!" 
       We laughed, we both were thinking about the enormity of the male ego identification with his sexual tool!...........If you, a male, are reading this what would your response be?