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Naturture

This work—sculptures, photograms, and photographs—invites viewers to explore their interpretations of sculptures of female bodies.

Venus figurines

I first saw the "Venus figurines" years ago in an archaeology class at the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Science. The figurines are among the earliest representations of humans in Europe. Some may be as old as 30,000 years.

The meaning lies in our interpretations

For centuries, these small sculpted female bodies have been the subject of speculation about the role of women in endless debates about whether the roles of men and women are “biological,” “natural,” or “cultural.” But we have no idea what the intended meaning of the makers of these figurines was. Do they mean that people once looked at women with more awe because they could bear children? Have women lost their power with the rise of the modern, predominantly male scientific worldview? Do the round, voluptuous forms of the figurines imply that those cave dwellers lived in abundance?

Technical image editing - Menno Sabel

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