Juliana & Sleeping Hermaphroditus

Mixed Media Collage

24"x36"

"Juliana & Sleeping Hermaphroditus" is really about women reclaiming the gaze and power. Throughout art history women were shown as subjects to be drawn and lusted after, but with this piece I wanted to reappropriate the original "Sleeping Hermaproditus". In the original sculpture, there is a sleeping intersex person (then called a hermaprodite). The person is in a vulnerable sleeping position where they are naked and on one side you see their sleeping face and the other, you see their genitals. This invites the viewers gaze and allows them to come and fantasize about this person or touch them. I changed this to where the genitals and face are now both on the same side to unify their identity. I juxtaposed this with a more contemporary sculpture called "Juliana" made by Frank Benson. Juliana is a trans female musician and artist and in this sculpture exudes her confidence and reclamation of power in front of the "Sleeping Hermaphroditus". Though the background and ornamentation of this collage is metallic and gaudy and campy, she shines through. This piece also was inspired by artists like Nina Chanel Abney who also address womanhood and gender and blurring the lines.