SEXTREME ART
Huge 100ft vagina sculpture splits Brazil as critics brand it ‘disgusting’
A MASSIVE concrete sculpture of a vagina has caused critics to get their knickers in a bit of a twist.
The controversial 100ft piece was unveiled in Brazil by visual artist Juliana Notari on hillside at the Usina de Arte, a rural art park in Pernambuco state.
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It took the work of more than 20 people to construct the unusual installation, titled "Diva", over an 11-month period
The huge handmade sculpture measures up at 33 metres high, 16 metres wide, and six metres deep.
Speaking about her work on Facebook, Notari said it is intended to "question the relationship between nature and culture in our phallocentric and anthropocentric western society" as well as provoke debate over the "problemisation of gender".
She added: "Currently these issues have become increasingly urgent."
But her work has caused quite the stir online, with some critics calling the piece "disgusting".
One wrote: "Misguided artist. Sorry to say that too. Would love a better representative for appreciating women."
Another typed: "A monstrosity - to say the very least."
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"I'm all for equality but there are other ways to get your point across without ruining the landscape," someone else commented.
The installation has totally split opinions, however, as some have praised the artist's work - describing it as "beautiful".
One fan wrote: "The female and male bodies are all works of art. Beautifully constructed and full of wonder.
"No matter what criticism of the work people spew, it is art."
It has also caused a clash between supporters of the country's far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, and left-wing art admirers.
The president, who took office in 2019, is known for his macho views on women and has before hit out at artists.
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Notari is one of several who, despite this, have refused to remain silent.
She told : "Diva' is a 'possibility' because it cuts through Brazil's structural patriarchy, which is continuously reinforced by Jair Bolsonaro's far right, hateful discourse."
Meanwhile, polemicist Olavo de Carvalho - often cited as an ideological influence on Bolsonaro - addressed the artwork on Twitter with a foul-mouthed comment.
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