Sarah Lucas uses objects to suggest genitalia.
In her pieces – Bitch, 1995 and Two Fried Eggs and a Kebab, 1992, she uses a table to suggest a human and then places two fried eggs where the breasts should be and a kebab where the vagina should be. Similarly in Bitch, she uses the table to suggest a human on all fours and a t-shirt with two melons in hanging underneath to suggest breast and a kipper to suggest the vagina.
In a self-portrait she pictures herself wearing a t-shirt with two fried eggs attached to her breasts.
These well-known similes’ for genitalia appear again in Au Naturel. A double mattress with a cucumber and two orange’s is positioned next to a bucket and two melons to suggest a man and women naked in bed together.
I can relate these pieces to my work due to the symbolism she uses for male and female genitalia. Lucas’s work doesn’t appear to be discriminatory to either sex however we could suggest that she’s implying that likening the genitalia to similar looking objects it discriminatory to both sexes.
Upon seeing Lucas’s work it has inspired me to create a short video asking people what they think genitalia looks like.
