Wangechi Mutu - Contemporary Artists

Indurated Ulcers of the Cervix

The Saatchi Gallery
 

Wangechi Mutu

Indurated Ulcers of the Cervix

2005
collage on found medical illustration paper

45.7 x 32.4cm

Pasting images taken from porn and fashion magazines over a prudish diagram of vaginal infections, Wangechi Mutu examines the perception of female sexuality. Her amalgamated portrait capitalises on the contradictions of role expectations: as western media ideal, sex goddess, and mother. Contorted in anger and crowned by black diamond dust, Mutu’s figure becomes both victim and warrior, alluding to the repercussions of female exploitation in both Africa and the west: from prostitution to sexual war crimes.
 
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