LUZ IN IRKALLA

PAINTING

Acrylic and oil on canvas.

Painted surface 89 x 116 cm (35.04 x 45.67 in ) in a format of 89 x 116 cm (35.04 x 45.67 in)

Year of realization 2018

Signed on the bottom right of the piece.

We live in a highly visual culture: we are presented with hundreds of representational impressions, if not thousands, of times every day, often until the point of sensory overload. The impact of these visual images resonates in every facet of our lives, which contributes to how we interact with and interpret the world around us; it shapes our opinions, creating output results and desires. Images also clearly serve as a driving force behind our decisions about what to believe, what to value, where to go and which people and relationships are worth our time and energy. The most widely-used, persuasive images of all are indisputably those belonging to sex. Sexual and sensual images abound in adverts, music videos, television shows, mainstream film and on the web. Ignoring the intriguing, suggestive and titillating influence of these images is nearly impossible…but, more importantly, why should we?

Museum of Sex (New York)



According to exhibition curator, Jennifer Kabat, Vamps & Virgins exposed the secret history of the pin-up, which reflect the 20th century history and shows how the role of women has changed and their images have been employed for more than 100 years. “The development of the pin-up and its accompanying spread of scantily-clad ladies across American culture, from adverts and billboards to TV, is easily the most important event that impacted on women’s rights, the history of sexuality, and feminism over the last century,” Ms. Kabat said. “In this post-modern and post-Playboy world we are used to our models becoming self-aware, self-assured and as self-described feminists, but it wasn’t always the case.”

At its beginnings, erotic was far more explicit than contemporary images. Traded privately, these pictures have now a quaint feel with their couples (and threesomes, foursomes and more) sporting serious expressions and often matching outfits. Toned down as soon as the images spread to the population in postcards form, the model started to use the camp, shy expressions that are the genre’s hallmark, reaching her highpoint with Bettie Page. After Page, the style changed again, turning towards the explicit look of the contemporary centerfold.

Museum of Sex (New York)