If you create or own art concerning menstruation or menopause
and are interested in showing it on thesepages (it's free!), contact MUM
Marie Claire magazine (Italian edition) featured several
of the above artists in an article about this
museum and menstruation in 2003. The newspaper Corriere della Sera (Io Donna
magazine) (Milan, Italy) and the magazine Dishy (Turkey) showed some of
the artists in 2005 in articles about this museum.
 
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The Art of Menstruation at the Museum of Menstruation and Women's Health
"Catastrophe at Swan Lake,"
by Ria Lee
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"I'm an emerging New Zealand artist. The majority of my work is
based on contemporary social commentary with my concepts being realised
in sculpture.
"Within my art practice I have utilized Barbie style dolls to address
gender oppressive stereotyping. 'The Disaster Series' consists of three
works, each a parody of the consumerism surrounding the doll and the market-place
bombardment of innumerable Barbie accessories. The dolls are dressed in
individually tailor-made outfits each representing a middle/upper class
leisure activity: a pool party, shopping, and the ballet.
"Each work is individually titled: 'Disaster at the Pool-Party,'
'Catastrophe at Swan Lake,' and 'Late This Month? White Trousers Always
Brings It On.' The alluded-to disaster is onset of unexpected menstruation;
this work is a reaction to the absurd ambiguity surrounding the advertisement
of feminine sanitary products.
"The appropriation of Barbie in this series seems apt to me as
she, I believe, is the least likely contemporary icon to menstruate due
to the fact that she has no genitals.
"I would be extremely honoured if you would consider displaying
images of 'The Disaster Series' at MUM.
"Please find attached images of 'Catastrophe at Swan Lake.'
Regards,
Ria Lee"
[By the way, performers who couldn't wear pads, such as ballet dancers,
were early users of tampons. See, for example, A.C.C.
Tamponettes and Lox theatrical tampons - "Lox"
meaning the tampon was locked in and couldn't fall out during a performance.]
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NEXT artist: Sharon
Lee
See all the artists in the links in the left-hand
column.
If you create or own art concerning menstruation or menopause and
are interested in showing it on thesepages (it's free!), contact MUM
See
also Bea Nettles' art The Moonsisters
© 2002 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute
work on this Web site in any manner or medium without written permission
of the author. Please report suspected violations to hfinley@mum.org
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