Sarah Lucas at the New Museum – visual research

The exhibition “Sarah Lucas: Au Naturel” held at The New Museum features a unique and provocative body of work from Sarah Lucas that explores the boundaries of gender, sexuality and identity. Her work, centred around the theme of feminism, often challenges the common stereotypes and traditional views on woman through the use of everyday objects.

The piece “Mumum, 2012” is made up of plenty of tights stuffed with fillings that form the shape of a hanging chair. The stuffed tights, each with an unique shade, resemble the form of breasts. The name “Mumum” and the rounded shapes of the chair suggest motherhood and womb. Every elements in this piece contribute to the theme of feminism, and although contructed by everyday objects, each are given a deeper meaning by the artist.

“Mumum” surprised me the most because of the visual compact created by the amount of “breasts” displayed and how close they are to each other. It is also my favorite piece beacuase of its sense of subtleness created by resembling stuffed tights as breasts, yet still forming a powerful image. Furthermore, it pocess an erotic vibe that lures the visitors to stop, look, and stare. From visiting the museum, I learned how everyday objects as ordinary as a can of spam can be turned into powerful artworks that pocess deep meaning and challenges sociatal stereotypes.