Initially, I wanted to know the identities of the women whose vulva’s had been drawn; was there consent? But Consent is not alway available. The more I questioned, the more I realised their anonymity was deliberate. Why did I need to know? Medical examiners do not care about identity, why should we?
Lily Jones found parts of her own body felt alien, exposing the distance between physical form and the self. As observers, we examine a stranger, caught between what we have been told and what we see.
Here, the work shifts into discomfort; we become aware of ourselves looking. These charcoal drawings demand we slow down and examine a subject typically consumed through pornography, medicine, or digital media. Yet the more we look, the less certain we become. Perhaps the answer is to allow the body to exist, without the need to sexualise, medicalise, or explain it.
A Project of this vulnerability requires immense trust. Deepest thanks to Lily for her radical vision, and the team who brought these vital conversations safely to the page.
- Chelsea Mildenhall
60 pages,Soft Touch Laminate cover featuring an essay from Simisola Akande and foreword from Chelsea Mildenhall
Initially, I wanted to know the identities of the women whose vulva’s had been drawn; was there consent? But Consent is not alway available. The more I questioned, the more I realised their anonymity was deliberate. Why did I need to know? Medical examiners do not care about identity, why should we?
Lily Jones found parts of her own body felt alien, exposing the distance between physical form and the self. As observers, we examine a stranger, caught between what we have been told and what we see.
Here, the work shifts into discomfort; we become aware of ourselves looking. These charcoal drawings demand we slow down and examine a subject typically consumed through pornography, medicine, or digital media. Yet the more we look, the less certain we become. Perhaps the answer is to allow the body to exist, without the need to sexualise, medicalise, or explain it.
A Project of this vulnerability requires immense trust. Deepest thanks to Lily for her radical vision, and the team who brought these vital conversations safely to the page.
- Chelsea Mildenhall
60 pages,Soft Touch Laminate cover featuring an essay from Simisola Akande and foreword from Chelsea Mildenhall
