She’s on the Rag quite literally left me speechless. Just looking at the image, the concept of menstruation was clear. Visualizing it under an abstract lens, meant for the beauty it encapsulated, truly captured the essence Ibarra was intent on displaying. As I read over the description however, I was stunned to learn that the work was actually the product of her own menstrual emissions. My reaction was both in awe and perplexity. In complete honesty, I was uncomfortable at first. I then realized that was the exact point of the piece. Ibarra’s art is meant to provoke an intentional discomfort. One should question themselves as to why they are uncomfortable with a natural human process. Is it an issue of blood, or rather an issue of sex/gender? As a menstruating woman, contextualizing the piece within the setting of social norms and my own experiences really helped to cement Ibarra’s motives behind the art.
Ibarra’s art seems to provoke many reactions. I would ask, how exactly does she gauge the reactions of their audience? Does she create her art with an expected reaction, letting it flow throughout viewers naturally or is there a point where she asks people what they think about a piece? I feel letting the piece speak on its own accord is quite liberating. At the same time, as an artist with expressive intentions, it seems reasonable to inquire about how individuals are receiving your pieces.
No comments:
Post a Comment