Pink taco, beaver or axe wound are all slang terms that have been used to describe the vagina. I find it especially interesting , how the term "pink taco"in our culture can be associated with the vagina. I see humor, as well as a degrading side to this, since a complex female reproductive organ can be related to a food, something that is thoughtlessly desired and consumed. Lately, I have been thinking about the male/female binary and exploring the suffocating influence of social systems upon sexual identity. The objects I create represent the daily experiences of these social constructions, and through layering or dissecting these forms and experiences I discover hidden lives. Here, I have created these delicate objects which suggest a sexual form, and put them on display, for the potential to be critiqued or even consumed.
After shaping the tacos and letting them become firm, I dipped them in pink house paint. In class i had displayed them on top of a vanity mirror, but here I have them on a gold tray which can slightly change the meaning. I thought about the advice I got and altered the piece by placing a silky flowered pattern fabric on the table, instead of the canvas. I feel this was a good change, but I believe there is an even better fabric to suit this installation. I imagine the final fabric to be a dark silky purple with a floral print, that is long enough to touch the floor. I also started drawing on the tacos, to further explore hidden layers. This is definitely a piece that i will be thinking on ways to improve throughout the semester and I want to continue working with the image of a pink taco throughout a series. I usually create hybrid forms that are neither male nor female (or sometimes both), but at the risk of looking like a feminist, I am currently fascinated by the female anatomy and its relationship to consumption and humor.
Eventually, I am interested in creating these small sculptures in an edible form.
Immediately upon entering the room, I recognized your work. There are always these themes that stick in my mind when I see your art: pink, sexuality, and the grotesque. I had the pleasure of experiencing Paula’s paintings in a previous class. I wonder what would happen if you installed a work, such as “Pink Tacos” with one of the paintings. Overall, I think the unconventional use of the tacos is fascinating.
ReplyDeleteWorth looking like a feminist to produce witty, subversive
ReplyDeletein-your-face works like this. Cloth is a vast improvement
because the blue and gold brocade works well with pink.
Drawing on the tacos will certainly add another layer, even writing on them as well.
Nice work and beginning of many other investigations along this line -
where language intersects, alters, constructs gender, gender perceptions and so on. There's a calm irony and precision to the work that's really enjoyable and makes the language feeble by comparison.
Thank you