FLOWER OF LIFE
During 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 — 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 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 of the most viral artworks.
There is no such thing as sinful skin. Our naked bodies are always in humble integrity. There is divine poetry in our sexes.
“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 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