Untitled Performance (Carving)

This work was inspired by Rineke Dijkstra’s portraits of postnatal mothers. I projected onto my body an ultrasound image of myself in my mother’s womb during the third trimester of her pregnancy. Subsequently, Francisca Twiggs carved the fetal image onto my abdomen using an etching needle. She wore a folkloric Mexican wedding dress—a symbol of fertility.

In this performance, the body is the subject and functions as a human canvas. The act of carving into the skin probes the social and biological impositions of motherhood, the physical effects of childbirth, and the cyclical nature of life. This piece aims to participate in the discourse over reproductive rights and posits reproduction from a relativistic perspective—as a lifestyle choice.

This piece was performed on Wednesday, 30 April 2008.