P.O. Box 92, Gerlach, NV 89412
Phone (775) 557-2526
Cell (210) 842-1196

lisa@drakaarts.org

Spermaid

Lisa Nigro Artist

Sculpture 1993 Austin, TX 62" x 10" x 13" bronze (wax also shown) A commentary on sexuality and gender issues with respect to woman’s body — In the making of Spermaid, I focused on creating a dichotomy between two polarities. By combining a masculine, sperm-like form with a female torso, I succeeded in developing an unexpected image of strength and sensuousness. As with my other works, I used a cast of my own body to form Spermaid. I do not present woman as whole, but allow her parts to transform power that is usually relegated to the male. Here she takes on the form of the sperm. She is headless, yet she possesses a sperm’s head; she is legless, yet she possesses a thick tail which nurtures the capabilities to twist and swim, and fight upstream against the most amazing odds. Laura Cottingham states: “To be an object is, after all, not to think, not to act: to be the possession of someone else, not yourself,” but, this objectification can be re-contextualized. It was through the development of the Spermaid that I accomplished this. The framing of the female genitalia within a masculine form connotes a disengagement from objectification. Woman acts out the role of the traditional male, and as she acts he becomes possessor of power. This engagement with the patriarchal power structure is further implied by the juxtaposition of both fertilizing and birthing capabilities. The thought of having a portion of a woman resting within a man’s sperm was the type of contradiction I aspired to obtain. In the collection of George McCall Seacrest, Houston, TX.

Back to >

image gallery