"The Virgin," Mary Mother of Christ.
This piece illustrates the burden of womanhood. Simply possessing a female body makes me feel vulnerable to violence and judgement. To be an “ideal” woman through the lens of society, one must sacrifice some part of herself. We are denied the ability to be complex.
Mary, the ideal Judeo-Christian woman, represents this paradox. To uphold Mary as an ideal standard for woman—both virgin and mother—is literally impossible.
Inspired by Byzantine Mosaics and statues of the Pieta.