Illustrations of a woman's body
Being a woman is all sugar, spice and all things pink, or at least some version of it. Images: Tanya Singh.  

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The Vagina Monologues: When Your Anatomy Becomes A Piece Of Art

A new crop of illustrators, animators and sculptors are exploring body positivity by depicting vulvas in their work.

This July, we’re heating things up with Sex-Rated: The VICE Guide to Sex in India. Come with us as we dive deep into Indian sexuality, as well as cherry-pick some of the best videos and stories about sex from VICE around the world. Read more here.

Pussy art is popping up. You can find it in an art gallery or spot it as a public installation; it may disrupt your Instagram feed and can be bought on Etsy. Young-blooded, Indian artists are pushing the boundaries of contemporary art by drawing vaginas and menstruation, subjects which have historically been taboo in India. Read on to discover six artists using mediums like thread, ceramics and animation to portray female anatomy in its entirety.

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ARUNIMA BOSE

When words failed, Arunima Bose took to displaying interactive vagina sculptures on gallery walls. To great acclaim. Image: Arunima Bose.

“I found it difficult to express my sexuality through language,” says Bose who worked as sexual and gender trainer in underprivileged communities. “It’s a feeling and experience that can’t quite be penned down. In that sense, I believe different forms of art have more power than words.” Bose quit her desk job to create beautiful paintings of vaginas and received a grant in 2017 to make interactive vagina sculptures for the Gender Bender festival in Bengaluru. “Women are not taught to own their bodies. It belongs to your parents and then your husband and in between to your boyfriends. The point of my art is to talk about pleasure and ownership and therefore, drawing vaginas and breasts is important. The statue of David is considered to be a great work of art, so why is it crass to show vaginas?”

MEHR CHATTERJEE

The Pube Comb gif shocked Mehr Chatterjee's grandmother into silence. It still went viral though. Image: Mehr Chatterjee.

As a child, Chatterjee was encouraged to draw on walls by her grandfather and she went on to attend the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) for a BFA in Film, Animation and Video. “I think in the right context, depicting vaginas can be liberating and honest. I didn’t expect people to find my pube-comb gif so relatable! A lot of people shared it and it was encouraging to see that,” she says. “I haven’t received any negative backlash, surprisingly. My grandmother once asked me what I make, and when I showed her, there was just awkward silence.”
Follow her @mechats

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SARAH NAQVI

Ladylike pursuits like embroidery can redefine 'ladylike', especially when Sarah Naqvi has something to say about it. Image: Sarah Naqvi.

Embroidery is a family tradition passed down through generations and Naqvi uses it to create textile art about menstruation. Her work began out of the sheer frustration she felt living in a fairly conservative society that was rampant with everyday sexism. “Once I started putting my work up on social media and other portals for people to view, it was quite the rollercoaster ride,” says Naqvi. “Majority of the feedback and criticism was positive and constructive but the backlash wasn’t easy to handle. On multiple occasions I received threats and nasty comments from anonymous people, mostly via messages on Instagram, and a couple of my artworks were even taken down from Instagram for obstruction of community guidelines. But honestly, this gave me even more incentive to work harder than ever because it proved my entire point.”
Follow her @naqvi_sarah

TANYA SINGH

'Treat Yourself', as Tanya Singh did, depicting humour in sexual situations. Image: Tanya Singh.

Singh began addressing the female form in 2016 for the Inktober drawing challenge—where artists all over the world do one ink drawing a day through the month of October. Although the series began with depicting the awkward humour in sexual situations, it turned into a confrontation with her own fears and insecurities regarding her physicality. She began to draw the things she wouldn’t talk openly about. “I have not received any negative feedback but people are often bewildered—a reaction I take as a compliment. Personally, it has also been extremely liberating and hence, I continue to do what I do.”
Follow her @thedoodlemafia

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SHIRISH GHATGE

Shirish Ghatge encourages women to be comfortable with their shape and form with his work. Image: Shirish Ghatge.

An illustrator pursuing a Masters in Animation & Film Design at NID Ahmedabad, Ghatge first drew a vagina as part of an anatomy class in art school. “I found it strange that the art faculty invited nude models to pose for the students but asked them to turn a certain way so that their private parts are covered,” he says. “The idea behind this piece was to work with the themes of body shaming and acceptance because a lot of women close to me had spoken about not being comfortable with their shape and form. I can’t convey that point if I omit drawing the vagina."
Follow him @voyager_of_dreams

LYLA FREECHILD

Botanical beauty in menstrual cups: This and other pieces of Lyla Freechild's work are worthy of being made into wall clocks and decorative hooks. Which is exactly what she's done. Image: Lyla Freechild.

From studying engineering to designing weddings to renaming herself and following the path of art, Freechild has had quite a journey. “In 2014, I was coming out of an abusive relationship and questioning patriarchy and control (some of which I had experienced while growing up), and I decided to marry myself, commit to myself, love myself and embrace every part of my body. That’s when all the artwork was created; I make ceramic jewellery, platters and functional items like clocks and hooks that depict vaginas and also paint with my menstrual fluid. For a long time, I didn’t tell anyone for fear of what people would think; I used to lock myself in the bathroom to paint. When I’d go to fire my pottery in the factory, I’d wonder what the artisans thought of my artwork. I only started sharing and selling this artwork last year.”
Follow her @lyla_freechild