FLOWER OF LIFE
The Mona Lisa of Liberation
During the 2023 Miami Art Week we presented the world premiere of ‘Flower of Life’, the largest, most intimate portrait of a vagina ever exhibited.
Immediately upon entering the fair, one encountered her in full majesty. At almost 7 feet high, hugged in a carved wooden baroque frame, ‘Flower of Life’ resembles more a classical painting then a photograph. Literally everyone who encountered the work was struck by a deep recognition — whether one rolled the eyes, giggled, screamed or cried, no one passed by without showing raw emotion on their faces.
Flower of Life
Canvas with Carved Wooden Baroque Frame
Limited Edition of 3
166cm x 200cm
Look at this vagina, exposed in all its glory. Look at all its simultaneous complexity and simplicity.
— Daniel Coffeen, PhD
The vagina — the ‘Flower of Life’, is a wonder of nature, a sacred symbol of creation, universally shared yet always uniquely expressed through a complex variety of form, pattern and palette. Freeing the body of misconception and shame in the ongoing cultural war against the human form is a fundamental step towards freedom.
Marisa shares her uncensored ‘Flower of Life’ counter-culturing current community standards. Undressing her from thick layers of propaganda, we aim to restore our interpretation of the vagina by revealing her in the light of high-fidelity and elegance. Showing herself in full detail without obscurity, she reminds us of the mystery of our origin. With this authentic expression she is a declaration of our naked, natural truth.
The selfie sensation of Art Basel Miami is also the most banned.
The buzz about the "very big vagina" spread quickly and everyone who arrived at the fair was looking for the infamous ‘Flower of Life’. Thousands of selfies were taken with the artwork over the course of the week. However only a few hours after the opening, our gallery had been informed about multiple people posting their selfie on Instagram and it being removed within minutes. There were also dozens of reports of accounts being banned for sharing an image of the artwork. Even though according to Instagram’s community guidelines, nudity in artwork is allowed, the platform still banned the image. If it wasn’t for the flawed algorithm, ’Flower of Life’ certainly would have been the one and only viral artwork of Art Basel 2023.
There is no such thing as sinful skin. Our naked bodies are always in humble integrity. There is divine poetry in our sexes.
Perceive Pure, Receive Pure
The first time we encounter an object, idea or image, our intuitive self translates what we see. Our understanding is created innately through feeling — our reading is pure. Yet, far too often our perception comes loaded with stories, whether our own, or inherited by culture at large. As you view ‘Flower of Life’, view it free from judgement, free from history, free from language.
Opening the legs of culture.
We rarely see vaginas in our current culture & media, and if we do, most likely it’s in the context of pornography. Having such a limited vulgarized relationship with the vagina is both disempowering and disingenuous. Seeing our bodies merely as lust objects disconnects us from ourselves and the natural world around us. ‘Flower of Life’ puts the vagina on public stage and opens the dialogue for a renewed understanding and acceptance of our body as a whole.
Spiral of shame
For centuries our relationship to our bodies has been colored with guilt and embarrassment. Still to this day, all over the world we are told to hide and be ashamed of our bodies, our genitals being the epicenter. Shame weakens us, suppresses self love and eventually shape-shifts into fear. This false story of being born with sin causes us to feel trapped in our very own bodies. ‘Flower of Life’ transmits a new story, free of shame, free of fear — free to just be.
Teach Truth
Unlike the penis, the vagina is not in plain sight. If girls want to learn about their intimate parts, they need guiding curiosity. But we teach young girls that what’s between their legs is something to be shy about. This dims their innocent questing soul and now a great amount of courage is required to approach their own threshold. Let’s teach children to love every part of their body. Let’s teach them to question. Let’s teach them to discover their inner truth.
“But this—this vagina, this image, this 'Flower of Life'— is up to something else that belies, that refuses, ready reduction to familiarity and the already known. The way it stands towards us, its comportment, is simultaneously confrontational and deadpan, in our face and utterly serene. It won’t let us place it on familiar territory. It’s not sexual or pornographic; it’s not medical; it’s not a rebellious flouting of convention; it’s not a poster for “pussy power.” No, this 'Flower of Life' is up to something else.”
— Daniel Coffeen, PhD
via ‘Behold This Non-Fungible Vagina (NFV), or The Multiple Event of Emergent Particularity in the Digital Age’
Read the essay on Medium
The Female Gaze
At first glance you might think ‘What is this image doing here?’ And that’s exactly why it’s here… Yes, we do see a man, up-close, photographing a woman’s intimate parts. But this woman is me. And this man is my husband. While I was laying there, with my legs stretched out towards the Ocean, I was in a deep state of empowerment and freedom. I was about to share my 'Flower of Life' with the world, aiming to free all Flowers of Life.
My intention with this image is to invite the masculine along on the feminine journey of rediscovery. While I support the reclaiming of female power, true empowerment comes through relating, not through separating.
The image of a vagina is pretty much non-existent in the art world. It’s often seen as too taboo, rather than the powerful muse that she is. How can something so exquisite and beautiful be deemed shameful?
I am a sinless seed
I am the seed of my mothers apple
I am the seed of the seed of the seed of the seed
I am the seed of the original seed
through her sacred flower
I gave birth to myself
I descended mother
to witness
the light of earth
I covered myself with the blood of christ
washed myself with the flow of life
I am veiled by nature
as a fleur-de-lis
I am given a gift
a shell of shielding soft skin
my fingers follow my truth
touch upon my flesh
profound pleasure when kissed
behold,
what a shame if missed
I do not deny myself
I am not a forbidden fruit
for the sake of sacredness
I open my leaves of unity
bloom,
my holy fruit
this is our origin
this is our naked truth