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EN
| Zoe Leonard and the collective Gang Read my Lips 1992 Posters |
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List of sources:
http://recapsmagazine.com/reprint/ read-my-lips-poster-by-gang/ |
The poster "Read my lips before they're sealed" shows the close-up of a vagina. The vagina figuratively has come to age to "speak" for itself and does not stand any longer as a desired object watching itself being looked at.[1] The artist intended to creating something that exists outside galleries and museums and could create changes.[2] With this work she refers in concrete terms to a law prohibiting American doctors to use the word abortion.[3] Her posters should invite people to reflect on the fact that the government infringes more and more their personal privacy. Text and picture worked so perfectly together, because "it (...) united the concerns of abortion and control of our own bodies with the concerns of freedom of speech." "We used the vagina and the word "lips" to make this connection to how our bodies were being censored and people were'nt being allowed to get the information they needed."[4] The posters engendered strong reactions. They were torn down, some people tried to scratch off at the vagina.[5] Anna Blume, who conducted the interview with Leonard, came to the conclusion that obviously vaginas in public spaces appear threatening whereas people in their privacy feel quite safe with such images.
Biography: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoe_Leonard (Translation: K. Seifter) |
