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Mucho "avant garde" . . .
For senior, abortion a medium for art, political discourse
Martine Powers
Staff Reporter
Published Thursday, April 17, 2008
Art major Aliza Shvarts '08 wants to make a statement.
Beginning next Tuesday, Shvarts will be displaying her senior art project, a do entation of a nine-month process during which she artificially inseminated herself "as often as possible" while periodically taking abortifacient drugs to induce miscarriages. Her exhibition will feature video recordings of these forced miscarriages as well as preserved collections of the blood from the process.
The goal in creating the art exhibition, Shvarts said, was to spark conversation and debate on the relationship between art and the human body. But her project has already provoked more than just debate, inciting, for instance, outcry at a forum for fellow senior art majors held last week. And when told about Shvarts' project, students on both ends of the abortion debate have expressed shock . saying the project does everything from violate moral code to trivialize abortion.
But Shvarts insists her concept was not designed for "shock value."
"I hope it inspires some sort of discourse," Shvarts said. "Sure, some people will be upset with the message and will not agree with it, but it's not the intention of the piece to scandalize anyone."
The "fabricators," or donors, of the sperm were not paid for their services, but Shvarts required them to periodically take tests for sexually transmitted diseases. She said she was not concerned about any medical effects the forced miscarriages may have had on her body. The abortifacient drugs she took were legal and herbal, she said, and she did not feel the need to consult a doctor about her repeated miscarriages.
Shvarts declined to specify the number of sperm donors she used, as well as the number of times she inseminated herself.
Art major Juan Castillo '08 said that although he was intrigued by the creativity and beauty of her senior project, not everyone was as thrilled as he was by the concept and the means by which she attained the result.
"I really loved the idea of this project, but a lot other people didn't," Castillo said. "I think that most people were very resistant to thinking about what the project was really about. [The senior-art-project forum] stopped being a conversation on the work itself."
Although Shvarts said she does not remember the class being quite as hostile as Castillo described, she said she believes it is the nature of her piece to "provoke inquiry."
"I believe strongly that art should be a medium for politics and ideologies, not just a commodity," Shvarts said. "I think that I'm creating a project that lives up to the standard of what art is supposed to be."
The display of Schvarts' project will feature a large cube suspended from the ceiling of a room in the gallery of Green Hall. Schvarts will wrap hundreds of feet of plastic sheeting around this cube; lined between layers of the sheeting will be the blood from Schvarts' self-induced miscarriages mixed with Vaseline in order to prevent the blood from drying and to extend the blood throughout the plastic sheeting.
Schvarts will then project recorded videos onto the four sides of the cube. These videos, captured on a VHS camcorder, will show her experiencing miscarriages in her bathrooom tub, she said. Similar videos will be projected onto the walls of the room.
School of Art lecturer Pia Lindman, Schvarts' senior-project advisor, could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.
Few people outside of Yale's undergraduate art department have heard about Shvarts' exhibition. Members of two campus abortion-activist groups . Choose Life at Yale, a pro-life group, and the Reproductive Rights Action League of Yale, a pro-choice group . said they were not previously aware of Schvarts' project.
Alice Buttrick '10, an officer of RALY, said the group was in no way involved with the art exhibition and had no official opinion on the matter.
Sara Rahman '09 said, in her opinion, Shvarts is abusing her cons utional right to do what she chooses with her body.
"[Shvarts' exhibit] turns what is a serious decision for women into an absurdism," Rahman said. "It discounts the gravity of the situation that is abortion."
CLAY member Jonathan Serrato '09 said he does not think CLAY has an official response to Schvarts' exhibition. But personally, Serrato said he found the concept of the senior art project "surprising" and unethical.
"I feel that she's manipulating life for the benefit of her art, and I definitely don't support it," Serrato said. "I think it's morally wrong."
Shvarts emphasized that she is not ashamed of her exhibition, and she has become increasingly comfortable discussing her miscarriage experiences with her peers.
"It was a private and personal endeavor, but also a transparent one for the most part," Shvarts said. "This isn't something I've been hiding."
The official reception for the Undergraduate Senior Art Show will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 25. The exhibition will be on public display from April 22 to May 1. The art exhibition is set to premiere alongside the projects of other art seniors this Tuesday, April 22 at the gallery of Holcombe T. Green Jr. Hall on Chapel Street.
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http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/24513
Mucho "avant garde" . . .
I'm waiting for all the art purists to come out and say that it's "art".
Performance art! Genius!
Well, it is art. It's also stupid.
It's not art, it's a ed up episode of "Jackass".
I'm also betting it's a hoax.
It is art.
It's exactly the kind of pretentious, shock-for-the-sake-of-shock art that I tend to stay far away from, but it's art.
i guess you missed that starving dog exhibit thread.
My guess is that's the thread that inspired this posting.
I've already commented on this at length elsewhere.
Suffice it to say that my opinion of this 'art' project is that I am at a loss for words to express how vile, repugnant, abhorrent and disgusting I find this. And I am pro-choice, so it's not some anti-abortion rant.
I also find myself feeling sort of sad for this girl - she doesn't understand that despite the drugs she took being 'legal and herbal' - she could have ed up her future fertility. There could be scarring or thinning of uterine lining that could prevent her from carrying a pregnancy that she desires to term.
Great point PeeWee. No seriously, great point. Its not like anyone couldn't see this coming the moment we saw the thread le.
Boy, you really got us!
Winner!! Winner!! Winner!! Winner!!
Yea, I thought long and hard on how to get you guys.
I live for that.
I wake up every morning and say, "How can I 'get' Manny The All Knowing today?"
I'm glad you took the time to pop into this thread.
You've made my day.
You've blessed me.
I'm so happy.
If she hadn't called it "art", I'd bet she would be sitting in a psych ward for a mandatory evaluation.
Your words not mine.
I don't see why she shouldn't be considered for one either way. Making art doesn't mean you're not crazy.
LOL @ peewee
"i'm waiting for them"
then he tries to play the I don't care what you think card.
Can you possibly be anymore re ed?
And?
Did that mean I was looking to "get" you guys?
And, if I was, the fact that you posted and are responding means that I did "get" you, if that was what I was trying to do.
The purpose of the thread was to show the extremes people will go to express something as "art".
If you got all butt hurt for some reason, maybe you should ask yourself why.
I like how you try to make it seem like you don't care and yet, here you are.
That's pretty re ed in itself.
Yes Peewee, you got me. I told you that several posts above.
Well thats ing groundbreaking!!! Whats PEEWEE Special is next? People use AC in the Summer? Men and Women have sex? Midgetonadonkey is a raging pussy?
The purpose of the thread was to show the extremes people will go to express something as "art".
If you got all butt hurt for some reason, maybe you should ask yourself why.
Well, if me thinking you're a complete re is me being butt hurt then I guess we could try to figure out why. I'm guessing the root of your re ation stems from being droped on your head as a baby although thats just a guess at this time. It will require more research on my behalf.
Last edited by MannyIsGod; 04-17-2008 at 04:23 PM.
When did I say I didn't care? On the contrary, I enjoy ridiculing you a great deal. It fills the entertainment gaps in my day. It would be more satisfying if you made it harder though.
Yea, all I do is think about ways to get the All Knowing Manny.
I posted the article with that in mind.
Dude, the world doesn't revolve around you.
Really, it doesn't.
I understand that it's hard for you to understand that, having gorilla sensibilities and all.
But, I don't blame that on you.
I blame your mother for ing that silver back gorilla.
You're just a product of that union.
I just enjoy the fact how you make it seem like it really doesn't matter to you but yet you keep responding.
It's nice.
The two aren't mutually exclusive.
As both an art nerd and a strong supporter of reproductive justice, I respect her right to call this art and I respect her right to make her own decisions with regards to pregnancy and herbal abortions (which, before it's argued, is NOT to suggest that I support or respect the actual decisions that she has made).
As a woman, however, I'd be really curious as to the thought process that says it's okay to intentionally put her own body through that much stress. I had an unforced miscarriage several years ago and, even as someone who does not want kids, it was incredibly traumatic. Both physically and emotionally. I cannot fathom being able to do that intentionally and can't help but feel that there would need to be some real self-esteem issues involved for the self-preservation instinct not to kick in.
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