Giant vulva sculpture in Brazil sparks outrage, amusement
Vagina and vulva in the art world are nothing new. For centuries, painters and sculptors have depicted women’s genitalia in their work. But perhaps never this big—or this red.
On New Year’s Eve, residents of Pernambuco state in northeast Brazil woke up to a vulva sculpture installed on the hillside of the rural art park Usina de Arte. It measures 33 meters high, 16 meters wide and 6 meters deep.
Called “Diva,” the installation was made by Brazilian artist Juliana Notari. The concrete, resin-covered installation was constructed by hand over 11 months as they could not use an excavator on the hillside.
“So it took over 40 hands to make ‘Diva’ rise, with over 20 men working under the sun,” Notari wrote in Portuguese on her Facebook page. Diva is a “land art,” she said, “a massive vulva/wound excavation. With Diva, I use art to dialogue about gender issues from a female perspective.”
Reactions to the installation range from outrage to support for the artist and amusement over the work.
“If it wasn't for this organ, no one would be here alive now to talk nonsense,” said one Facebook user.
“Sensational!” said another.
Still, others were clueless about a woman’s anatomy. “Is this supposed to be a giant vagina?”
While others celebrated it: “More respect people, all life on earth came out of a pussy. This is the portal to entry into this world, I think the arts should explore this issue much more. Long live the pussy!!!”
“Pretty sure women are still in shackles in some eastern societies . Why not try to bring awareness to those places first?” one user pointed out.
Some questioned the placement of the installation on a hillside. “You don't need to put that in the middle of nature, really how self-destructive we are with mother earth.” And another, “Reinforced concrete and resin??!! Super suffocating for nature…And you dare call it land art.”
The installation was finished one day after President Jair Bolsonaro said on Twitter that he would never legalize abortion in Brazil.
Notari said, “These issues have become increasingly urgent. After all, it is by changing perspective of our relationship between humans that will allow us to live longer on that planet and in a less unequal and catastrophic society.”
Diva is part of a series in which the artist explores the concept of “wounds.” She said the massive sculpture was meant to “question the relationship between nature and culture in our phallocentric and anthropocentric western society,” and provoke debate over the problematization of gender.
