Sip my ocean.
I've just started embroidering, like a little old lady, accept I seem to be exclusively embroidering genitalia at the moment. (Although my first piece was a Bart Simpson portrait.)
At university most of my work explored the human body. More specifically the gender politics of the body and portrayal of the body in the media, even in the Art World.
The idea of the 'male gaze' is a reoccurring debate and refers to the objectification of the female body within the arts and media. The nude female has been the primary subject of portraiture throughout history. We're used to seeing breasts and vaginas; in art, in cinema, on page 3, rolling around on Babestation.
We're not really used to phallic representations. And by phallic I mean erect. Sure we've all flicked through a Michelangelo art book and seen an array of microscopic, flaccid cocks, but traditional male representations in Art are generally non-sexualised, and there's definitely an air of unease around male nudes that doesn't exist with female nudes. How is the sexual male form such an enigma in a world where male sexuality determines the representation of most things?
I want to try and sell this piece at the next stall I run, I'm not sure whether to leave it in the embroidery ring or make some kind of hideous home wear with it.
I've been using really simple, basic embroidery stitches to make these. Just split stitch and what's supposed to be satin stitch. Hopefully I'll get better, one genital at a time.