''Period Pieces'' - err, snatching a glimpse at menstrual art...

[Lexicon]

I agree, if it was hand-blood people may not be so disgusted by it. I think blood is awesome, symbolically. And menstrual blood is like 20x cooler, symbolically. And art is all about symbols sooo...



How is it lazy and one dimensional? I think you just cant get over where the blood came from. Did you see the second link? That art was truly beautiful not one dimensional/lazy at all. Maybe you're also just not big on art? Cause menstrual blood art is a very cool idea if you ask me. Its spiritual and original. And who cares if its sanitary? I saw an article about another woman who painted pictures with her blood and she seals all of them with some crap idk what it is, but it makes a barrier so that they're "sanitary." As for the woman who painted the drum, thats for personal use so it doesn't really matter if its sanitary or not, its hers.

Blood is life, blood connects us to our past and if an animal reproduces then it will carry on into our future. Its an example of how life is bigger than the individual. Woman's blood is a reminder of the female's ability to create life and our gender's specific connection to the creation force/god.
Modern society would have women believe that our time of the month is a punishment, a time to feel sorry for ourselves instead of rejoicing in what makes us special. I understand what that one woman was saying about helping women to reclaim their cycles. A woman's monthly cycle connects us to the earth and humanity is very disconnected from mother earth right now, if women were to collectively rediscover the significance their cycles we would be one step closer to reconnecting humanity with nature.

and thats my 2cents.

How exactly does a natural biological occurence make us special?
Why do we need to feel special in the first place?
Special seems to imply more remarkable than something else, in a way.
Sure, we have the equipment handy to carry our offspring through gestation, but we overlook the fact that the offspring wouldn't be there without the male sex cells. I find this sort of thing tiring, to be honest. *awaits angry lynch mob of mothers* [there are pitchforks in the shed, to your right. No. your other right.]

I mean, sure, rejoice in all that makes you.. whatever it is you are.. but hopping about, feeling profoundly 'special' about it seems to scream to me a sense of overcompensation for societal stigmas that have been slowly diminishing over time. When we feel this need to validate something that just, IS.. are we not, in some ways, acknowledging/reinforcing the stigma in the first place?

*shrug* I think people need to learn to let the hell go in order to truly be in touch with life, and our nature, whatever that actually might be. But hey, that's just me. Everyone has their own manner of self expression, and path of enlightenment. Some paths are apparently lined with paintings composed of uterine scraps, blood and mucus. Mine, are not.. and I can't say I feel a loss there.

I do agree, some of the pictures in the second link look pretty cool, in terms of paint technique. And yeah, ultimately, what it comes down to is that these works mean something to the creators.. and good for them. Personally I find it excessive, but I don't have to like it; it isn't for me. You can apply that to practically any creative endeavor.. certain types of music seems like dissonant noise to some listeners, but its beauty is never lost on its creator, and I'm not sure anything else should matter, then.

 

[prplchknz]

I agree, if it was hand-blood people may not be so disgusted by it. I think blood is awesome, symbolically. And menstrual blood is like 20x cooler, symbolically. And art is all about symbols sooo...



How is it lazy and one dimensional? I think you just cant get over where the blood came from. Did you see the second link? That art was truly beautiful not one dimensional/lazy at all. Maybe you're also just not big on art? Cause menstrual blood art is a very cool idea if you ask me. Its spiritual and original. And who cares if its sanitary? I saw an article about another woman who painted pictures with her blood and she seals all of them with some crap idk what it is, but it makes a barrier so that they're "sanitary." As for the woman who painted the drum, thats for personal use so it doesn't really matter if its sanitary or not, its hers.

Blood is life, blood connects us to our past and if an animal reproduces then it will carry on into our future. Its an example of how life is bigger than the individual. Woman's blood is a reminder of the female's ability to create life and our gender's specific connection to the creation force/god.
Modern society would have women believe that our time of the month is a punishment, a time to feel sorry for ourselves instead of rejoicing in what makes us special. I understand what that one woman was saying about helping women to reclaim their cycles. A woman's monthly cycle connects us to the earth and humanity is very disconnected from mother earth right now, if women were to collectively rediscover the significance their cycles we would be one step closer to reconnecting humanity with nature.

and thats my 2cents.

dude, stop being such a hippy

 

[priestessofmars]

I frankly believe that if my blood is supposed to be sacred to me, I shall keep it to myself as I munch upon chocolate and tea.

However, putting my blood into a painting would be like.....

weird.

Yeah thats fine too

The first impression I got was: why does it not look like dried blood? Why is it still really red?

Also, art is subjective. Just because some people dislike the art of menstrual blood does not mean that they don't like art.

I didn't care much for the PVC pipe hanging from a wire. Doesn't mean I don't care about art.

For sure, art is subjective and not everyones gonna like the same thing. I guess I just really like paintings made out of blood. hahaha

How exactly does a natural biological occurence make us special?

Natural biological occurences connect us to nature, nature is god, we are extensions of god. Its a spiritual thing and not everyone will feel the same way about it I guess.

Why do we need to feel special in the first place?
Special seems to imply more remarkable than something else, in a way.
Sure, we have the equipment handy to carry our offspring through gestation, but we overlook the fact that the offspring wouldn't be there without the male sex cells. I find this sort of thing tiring, to be honest. *awaits angry lynch mob of mothers* [there are pitchforks in the shed, to your right. No. your other right.]

I wasn't trying to say one gender is better than the other. The male sex is just as sacred as the female, they balance eachother.
Our society has been dominated by males for a long time, its kind of the way things would go at first but its about time for the sexes to actually start balancing eachother out the way they're supposed to. And women (and men also) rediscovering the significance of their ability to create life and all that thats connected to is a good step towards that. But like I said, I wasn't meaning to put one above the other.

I mean, sure, rejoice in all that makes you.. whatever it is you are.. but hopping about, feeling profoundly 'special' about it seems to scream to me a sense of overcompensation for societal stigmas that have been slowly diminishing over time. When we feel this need to validate something that just, IS.. are we not validating the stigma in the first place?

I didn't mean for my use of the word special to make such an impact. I simply mean significant. Menstruation has been made to be something insignificant, a burden. I think it would be helpful, spiritually, for people to rediscover the significance of our ability to create life and how it connects us to nature and god. That doesn't mean we all HAVE to make paintings made out of menstrual blood and semen, but thats a good path too for anyone whos into that kind of thing.

 

[priestessofmars]

dude, stop being such a hippy

no. haha.

 

[prplchknz]

no. haha.

I was actually being serious.

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

I probably wouldn't be as grossed-out, but I'd still think "WTF?" if someone painted with blood from a cut, no so much "that's cool". Maybe also "they make much better red dyes and paints these days, pal".

Really? I think it's nifty.

Secondly, is there anything wrong with being disgusted by some substances more than others? I determine my saliva to be more tolerable than my urine for reasons that I think should be obvious.

Is it that obvious though? Fresh urine is actually entirely more sterile than saliva which carries bacteria.

We all carry taboos about genitalia. If a naked man walks around in public, people avert their eye gaze. Words that relate to genitalia and sex are made taboo as well. I'm not saying it shouldn't be the case, I'm just saying it's interesting, and this art points that out. I don't really think that relates to its artistic merits, I just think it's nifty.

 

[Gish]

How the flying fuck did this invite so much philosophical discourse?

 

[FigerPuppet]

Bunch of prudish philistines in this thread.

Something's wrong with you if you equal canned shit or blended goldfish with this, which you are doing if you believe these pieces were made to shock. Using blood as paint has given the pieces a look that you couldn't achieve with regular paint. This look is what should be judged, not what materials were used to create it.
I wouldn't mind having one or two of these pieces hanging in my house.

 

[Lexicon]

Yeah thats fine too

For sure, art is subjective and not everyones gonna like the same thing. I guess I just really like paintings made out of blood. hahaha


Natural biological occurences connect us to nature, nature is god, we are extensions of god. Its a spiritual thing and not everyone will feel the same way about it I guess.

I wasn't trying to say one gender is better than the other. The male sex is just as sacred as the female, they balance eachother.
Our society has been dominated by males for a long time, its kind of the way things would go at first but its about time for the sexes to actually start balancing eachother out the way they're supposed to. And women (and men also) rediscovering the significance of their ability to create life and all that thats connected to is a good step towards that. But like I said, I wasn't meaning to put one above the other.

I didn't mean for my use of the word special to make such an impact. I simply mean significant. Menstruation has been made to be something insignificant, a burden. I think it would be helpful, spiritually, for people to rediscover the significance of our ability to create life and how it connects us to nature and god.

This was the clarification I was hoping for on your part; just making sure you were aware that not everyone expresses that sense of personal connection to life, however they define it, precisely as you [or these artists] do. If I came off as abrasive at all, it wasn't my intent.. just probing to track your lines of reasoning, in a sense.

That doesn't mean we all HAVE to make paintings made out of menstrual blood and semen, but thats a good path too for anyone whos into that kind of thing.

*envisions New Age religious school art projects*
''LOOK WHAT I DID TODAY, MOM!''

..I'd hang it on my fridge.


Yeah, whatever works for some people.. like I said.. some don't necessarily need concrete reminders or practices to feel interconnected with the universe as a whole. I rarely see things in black & whte, better or worse.. just different. Many shades of it.

 

[Lexicon]

How the flying fuck did this invite so much philosophical discourse?

That was the point of my posting it.. I wanted to see people discuss different sides..

about blood paint.

Don't worry. It'll all be over. Sometime.

 

[rav3n]

Bunch of prudish philistines in this thread.

Something's wrong with you if you equal canned shit or blended goldfish with this, which you are doing if you believe these pieces were made to shock. Using blood as paint has given the pieces a look that you couldn't achieve with regular paint. This look is what should be judged, not what materials were used to create it.
I wouldn't mind having one or two of these pieces hanging in my house.

Can I sell you the latest rendition of "Fart in a jar" or "Specious Feces"? Both capture the essence of mankind.

 

[FigerPuppet]

Can I sell you the latest rendition of "Fart in a jar" or "Specious Feces"? Both capture the essence of mankind.

Can I sell you a pair of glasses and this book? Both will make it easier for you to understand my post, and other posts in the future.

 

[rav3n]

Can I sell you a pair of glasses and this book? Both will make it easier for you to understand my post, and other posts in the future.

Thanks for the tip but reading and comprehension are strengths of mine.

 

[priestessofmars]

I was actually being serious.

So was I. But why were you? You don't actually think I'm a "hippy" do you? Was it because I was talking about nature and god?

nifty.

I love that thats the word you decided to use to describe what you think of paintings made of menstrual blood. 'nifty' i like you.

This was the clarification I was hoping for on your part; just making sure you were aware that not everyone expresses that sense of personal connection to life, however they define it, precisely as you [or these artists] do. If I came off as abrasive at all, it wasn't my intent.. just probing to track your lines of reasoning, in a sense.

No I didn't feel like you were being abrasive at all. I think I just got a little carried away with my love of blood and what not in the moment and ended up seeming like I think everyone should feel the same way hehe

some don't necessarily need concrete reminders or practices to feel interconnected with the universe as a whole.

that reminds me of this quote that i saw the other day, i liked it alot...
"A happy person needs no religion; a happy person needs no temple, no church — because for a happy person the whole universe is a temple, the whole existence is a church. The happy person has nothing like religious activity because his whole life is religious."

 

[Risen]

Pussy is special... to some of us.

 

[Xenon]

Eh...I'm not that grossed out but I'm not impressed either. Choice of material doesn't make great art.

I got in an argument with a woman about this once, several years back. I think she implied that because I'm not on board with painting with my menses, that I am obviously disgusted by my periods and bodily functions. :rolli:

Oh yeah, that crap annoys me. Either you're in absolute awe of your female reproductive functions, or you harbor secret feelings of disgust over own body because you have been beaten down by our patriarchal society, and you need to be enlightened. I'm reminded of a discussion on another forum years ago, when those 'Seasonale' birth control pills came out that reduced the frequency of a woman's periods to four times a year. There was always some woman who was taken aback that some women would want to suppress menstruation. We should celebrate our periods! They are a symbol of our womanhood and the goddess inside all of us and our capacity to give life! We must grow out of these terrible, outdated ways of thinking that brainwash poor women into seeing them as an inconvenience!

I agree with what Lexicon said about overcompensation. I know there have been some ridiculous ideas about women and menstruation in the past: it was a curse, it crippled and mentally incapacitated women, it was something to be ashamed of. But what about...you know...just seeing menstruation as an ordinary bodily function? Just because something isn't a curse doesn't mean we have to see it as a blessing. Normal bodily functions can be uncomfortable and inconvenient (nasal congestion, sneezing, coughing, puking, diarrhea), and people don't think twice about altering or "suppressing" them when they are. And the um..products of these functions trigger disgust, especially when they come from a stranger. As long as we aren't talking about women's reproductive processes, no one sees anything wrong with any of this. I never see any accusations of a poor body image if someone takes a decongestant instead of revering the life-sustaining power of mucus. Or act like disgust over a stranger's used condom in the grass points toward an underlying hatred for men's bodies.

How is it lazy and one dimensional? I think you just cant get over where the blood came from.

This is exactly what I'm talking about. Apparently, you either think menstrual blood paintings are deeply profound, or you are disgusted by vaginas. There are simply no other ways to look at it.

 

[OrangeAppled]

How is it lazy and one dimensional? I think you just cant get over where the blood came from. Did you see the second link? That art was truly beautiful not one dimensional/lazy at all. Maybe you're also just not big on art? Cause menstrual blood art is a very cool idea if you ask me. Its spiritual and original. And who cares if its sanitary? I saw an article about another woman who painted pictures with her blood and she seals all of them with some crap idk what it is, but it makes a barrier so that they're "sanitary." As for the woman who painted the drum, thats for personal use so it doesn't really matter if its sanitary or not, its hers.

You seem to be attributing opinions to me which I did not express. I very much like art and consider myself a sort of artist. I never said anything about period blood being icky as the reason I dislike the concept. To me the "symbolism" is so obvious it's almost cliche. It's like some "girl power" concept. There's almost nothing symbolic - it's pretty straight-forward.

I checked the 2nd link - not impressed. It was "cute" at best (yes, I thought her blood was cute), but cute does not good art make, IMO. It would have the same value to me if she used paint, but without the cheap novelty factor of period blood.

As for the potential symbolism of blood, my own personal feeling is that its importance makes such art disrespectful in a sense. It's reducing it to a material. The way it's used here barely registers as symbolic to me anyway, as I said above.

In any case, I'm not impressed by the art, regardless of the material.

 

[Thalassa]

I personally think it's pretty gross and unnecessary, I wouldn't want it in my house nor would I like to participate, but I guess as purely conceptual art they do have a message they feel is important, and that's their right.

 

[stringstheory]

i rather like the idea. but i'm more of the opinion that if the artist created something with actual intention of being art and communicating something from the standpoint of the artist, then it's art. Art doesn't mean it's stuff ya like (or that ya have to like it) as many have pointed out. i think it's a little telling that people are either assuming that the medium is what is supposed to make the art and ignoring the artists inspirations dismissing it as such.

that said i'm not impressed with the drum, at least visually. i've seen stuff that i thought was much more visually attractive and resonated with me. Case in point, Vanessa Tiegs work that was also posted and it has a lot more to it than being shocking or a novelty. i'm also a fan of this piece.

"Restoration" is a very special piece. Its energy is the ashe of the orisha Oya'Yansa, who strongly came to my defense at the period in my life from 2002 through 2006. She is the Beautiful Warrior who grows a beard to go to war. She restores the universe with devastating winds of change and with her tornado she rips the foundation of unjustice and uncovers the dark, moist, and fertile soil of truth.

 

[Tallulah]

I thought the first link was fairly ridiculous, especially with all the too-precious talk about Moon Blood. I could talk to that woman for about three seconds before wanting to hit one of us in the head with a fence post to stop the pain. I'm not grossed out by menstrual blood, but I don't really buy into the hippie Earth mother fascination with it. It just is what it is, to me. I don't care for the plaster casts made of pregnant women's bellies or any of that stuff, either. I don't see anything particularly artistic about the moon blood drum. It's just arts and crafts type stuff for a specific subset.

Also, apropos of nothing, this sentence kills me:

For many years I have been collecting my moon blood by soaking menstrual cloth pads in water, and feeding my plants with this rich, nourishing soup.

It's almost like a parody of this type of woman. I could see Catherine O'Hara playing her in a Christopher Guest movie.

The art on the second link was actually kind of beautiful, though. I didn't poke around on the site very long, but I'm not sure it was actually painted with blood. I think it may have been painted to look like it was painted with blood. Which I'm actually kind of more on board with as a symbolic thing. There's something about painting with the actual blood that's too on-the-nose.