Someone's Finally Made a Pair of Vagina Gloves

You know how every single time you blow your load inside a cheap, plastic sex doll, you always end up feeling that beautiful, tender moment of shared devotion and pray to whatever god you believe in that the two of you can spend the rest of your lives together inseparably intertwined? Well now you can.

Dutch artist Sander Reijgers has created a number of wearable items – including jackets, gloves and hats – by mixing old, cut-up bits of sex dolls with other bits of clothing from big sportswear brands like Nike and Reebok, so you stay stylish while creeping people out. And yeah, sure, you might get some weird looks from people who don't "get" edgy-emotional, but if they can't appreciate a man sharing his love and bodily fluids with the world, then that's their loss, right?

I caught up with Sander to ask him about his sexy creations and why he chose to make gloves with clitorises for palms.

One of Sander's 'Cultural Contrasts' jackets.

VICE: Hey Sander. First off, tell me about your 'Cultural Contrasts' jackets.
Sander Reijgers: Well, I wanted to combine the East and the West together in one jacket, so I combined the keffiyeh, a scarf from the Middle East, with a Nike jacket. I was interested in the cultural meanings of the scarves; they’re worn to keep warm or protect yourself from the sun, but then they also have an association with terrorists. Also, Hollywood stars and Western youth wear them, which is interesting.

Were you trying to make a political statement yourself?
Yeah, I wanted to create a jacket of peace by combining the two extremes of American capitalism and what the keffiyeh can represent. But there was no political statement with the sex doll jackets.

Yeah, what are they about? I read that the idea came after you read The Malady of Death by Marguerite Duras.
In short, the main character in that story can't feel anything for people. He uses sex as a means to feel something and hopes that by having sex with women, he'll be able to feel some kind of emotion towards a human. I wanted to do the opposite. I wanted to free the sex doll from her sexual position.

Why did you decide to make clothes rather than some other kind of art?
I started off making bags out of the dolls because I wanted them to feel and see the world in a normal way. For example, if you wear the bag while going out to do groceries, then the doll may come into contact with ordinary life. I've gone a step further with the jackets by combining the "product" of a woman with hip-hop, youth culture and sport.

Yeah, you use Nike a lot in your work – why's that?
I mean, I do use other brands like Adidas and Reebok, too, but – for me – Nike is the biggest and such a strong brand and symbol of the West. Everybody knows Nike, so I use that recognition and association with Nike in my work.

What are your thoughts about sex dolls?
I just find them funny and stupid. I’m fascinated by the fact that it’s supposed to be a reflection of a woman. All the clichés are in the doll.

Which clichés?
Well, the woman is a product nowadays – they must be attractive and seductive. For example, in advertising, a carton of milk has to be sold with a horny-looking or half naked woman. The woman is subordinate and the man is dominant. I use those roles and imagery in my work.

Your mum helped you make the jackets – didn't she think they were weird?
At first she found it strange, yes. But she wanted to help me make the jackets because I'd never worked with a sewing machine before and she knew how to use one. After the first coat was finished, she was very happy and positive about the end result, so we carried on.

One of Sanders' totally not creepy drawings.

That sounds like a nice bonding experience. I read that you started as a painter – what would you define yourself as now?
I see myself as a sculptor. I couldn’t use many different materials or work very quickly with painting, so I quit and started to make 3D work.

That explains the vagina football.
Yeah, I wanted to make works of art that you don’t have to wear and can just look at. Football is a man’s world filled with machismo and money, so I started to experiment with the sex doll and the football to try and give the football world a different meaning.

Okay. You’ve also made a pair of gloves with a vagina in the palm. What are you trying to say with those?
Nothing. I just think it’s funny to make stigmata gloves with a vagina and an anus. I do a lot of drawing and I drew a hands with a vagina and an anus on them, wondered how that would look in real life and made the gloves.

Ah, the practical joys of being able to reinterpret sex toys. Thanks, Sander!

Follow Ryan on Twitter: @ryanbassil

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