What is one of the earliest and most enduring themes in art and media — as well as one of the most censored? Chest. First large, carved on tiny “Venus” figures some 25,000 years ago as totems of fertility, they are now seen (or hidden) as powerful symbols of desire, motherhood, feminism, sexism, ideals of beauty, defiance, controversy or disease, depending on the context.
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And these are all themes that are widely explored in the “Breast” exhibition, an extensive survey exhibited at the 60th Venice Biennale. Held at the Palazzo Franchetti Museum, the exhibition includes artworks by household names such as Cindy Sherman, Robert Mapplethorpe and Salvador Dali, as well as early career artists including Anna Weyant, Chloe Wise and Lakin Ogunbanwo. Divided into five rooms in accordance with the art deco design of the building, the artworks should be in conversation with each other – but also with the visitors of the exhibition – says exhibition curator Karolina Pasti, writes CNN.
“It’s very intimate, so it’s perfect for international artists to develop a dialogue with each other,” she said.
Breasts through history
One of the first juxtapositions that visitors to the Venice Biennale encounter is between the exhibition’s earliest work, the early 16th-century Madonna and Child by Bernardino del Signoracci, and Sherman’s self-portrait, which shows the artist with prosthetic breasts and a pregnant belly. Both depictions of motherhood have exaggerated anatomy—the baby Jesus in Del Signoracci’s panel painting revealing the Virgin’s rigid breasts, while Sherman depicts a hyperreal silicone torso in his interpretation of Raphael’s “La Fornarina”—and shows how Renaissance artists continued to influence our view of the breast. today.
From there, the exhibition meanders through painting, sculpture and design, photography, commercial advertising and video art, exploring the ways in which breasts have been seen and represented through both the male and female gazes.
“It goes back to cave paintings — we’ve always been fascinated by the human form, and especially the female form, which has an incredible allure and mystery,” said artist Tenika Crawford, who exhibits a delicate rendering of the breast as a landscape. “Artists are coming back to it.”
“It was a wonderful moment to reflect on my own relationship with the meaning of breasts,” she added.
Raising awareness of an important topic
The exhibition “Breasts” is set up, in part, to promote awareness of breast cancer and marks a partnership with the non-profit medical research organization Fondazione IEO-MONZINO, which will receive a portion of the sales of this catalog. It’s a theme that’s evident throughout the exhibition, with a vibrant pink stage and backdrop inspired by the color of the fight against breast cancer. These include a passageway designed by Buchanan Studio, the “Booby Trap”, which is lined with pink fabric and has 35 anatomical lights above.
