Pussy Power EV 5/16

Pussy Power is a body of work born in 2014 that seeks to redefine the pussy as a source of empowerment and a celebration of bodily autonomy. Recognizing that not all women have pussies, and that every single one can define ourselves beyond the genitalia we are born with, through this project I was attempting to create a space for people to explore the ways in which sex and sexuality is kept in the darkness, while rape culture is normalized and our right to abortion and birth control is eroded.

In the midst of a war against women, Pussy Power proposes a “flipping of the script” toward positive and authentic depictions of sexual desire, health, choice and freedom. All women - cisgender and trans women - have the right to experience our bodies, and to be free of sexual violence, rape, harassment, isolation and shame. The existing narratives around sexual justice and sexual health must expand to include equality that fundamentally begins from within (literally) our bodies.

This edition of prints was the first time I combined drawing, monotype, stenciling and linoleum block. Each print in the edition has a unique series of ink layers, stencils, and roller marks that are uniquely mine. In some of the prints, I also included watercolor, oil pencil, and/or shellac. I was particularly fascinated by the translucency of the paper and therefore layered some of the prints with a second sheet of monotype.