abortion-art?

[moonshake]

Oh Aliza Shvarts, what are we going to do with you? 

http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/24513

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 documentation 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 constitutional 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.

[todd]

So wait - when my dad put cigarettes out on my neck, was he being a bad parent or using my flesh as a canvas for his self-expression?

[Phantom Hugger]

This sounds like a discarded subplot for Claire from Six Feet Under.

I'm so glad art school is in the rear view mirror.

[erika]

I'm pro-choice, but that is disgusting and shameful and it gives art a bad name.

Gross.

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

Ditto.  I'd kinda like to see her and that guy who made housecats into hats get blown up by an anti-abortion terrorist performance artist.  And that guy should be a suicide bomber, too.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

"I hope it inspires some sort of discourse," Shvarts said.


she may be surprised to find that abortion doesnt need inspiration in that regard.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

I'm pro-choice, but that is disgusting and shameful and it gives art a bad name.

Gross.

same here.  but could you imagine watching campy VHS videos of a miscarriage in a bathtub??

[KickTheBobo]

"Mirror. Father. Mirror."

really, though: fuck all those artists that are attempting to make me THINK. I spend all day thinking about horrible things that happen in this world, mostly because you can't help but be bombarded with BUMMERS left and right. I know people and animals are suffering. I know there is injustice. I know that my car has blown three brand new tires in the course of four months, all to the tune of $100 a pop.

I just want to enjoy some art that reminds me of how beautiful and complex and hilarious this world we're stuck in is. Is that so much to ask?

I just hope that this dipshit has a good agent and can really cash in on her 15 minutes, because really: that's what it's all about with these ArtStar™ tools.

[erika]

I have no problem with artists making me think. But this doesn't make me think about anything but this girl's need for attention. There are so many tragedies in the world, and THIS is what she wants us to think about? Her fucking uterus?

This is an art exhibit from last year that made me think about the meaning of the piece as opposed to the artist's self-indulgence:

http://www.friendsoftom.com/forum/index.php/topic,894.msg13661.html#msg13661

[todd]

The problem is that this is disingenuous art. She's doing this so we talk about HER, not her "art" or "the issues." This is self-serving, "aren't I edgy?" bullshit.

[Jason]

The problem is that this is disingenuous art. She's doing this so we talk about HER, not her "art" or "the issues." This is self-serving, "aren't I edgy?" bullshit.

Exactly.
I don't have a problem with what she's doing apart from it being a transparently contrived stab at causing controversy and ultimately extremely boring.

[moonshake]

Today was a weird day. First I read this story. Then later on my university campus, I find these sensationalist nutjobs displaying "abortion is genocide" posters comparing abortion with the holocaust, lynching and what not.

[Chris L]

Here she is, apparently taking part in some sort of "Living Cliche" performance piece:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/v/rmD-wLdCgVw&hl[/youtube]

I think she thought she would mainly have to weather a few insults from within her ivy league sphere over this.  We'll see how she handles the ensuing shitstorm.

[emma]

Here she is, apparently taking part in some sort of "Living Cliche" performance piece:

For someone who says "it's not enough to have the right to say [things] if you don't know what you're going to say," she certainly didn't plan that speech very well. She "kinda"s and "sort of"s as much as me and Pudge combined, also.

[Chris L]

...Er, if it's not all a hoax.