The Medieval Torture Museum in Chicago, IL
Based on a 19th century Ifugao human trophy skull
Before the modern male dominator model of society, prehistoric peoples universally worshipped a mother goddess creatrix. Effeminate values were treasured and archeological evidence shows that it was a time of peace and prosperity, where not a single depiction of war has been discovered. The womb was revered as the life-giving and nurturing force of the universe to which we were created and reborn upon death. Ancient Venus figures were totems of this creatrix, and people were buried with vagina shaped cowrie shells and red ochre representing vital blood to ensure rebirth. Imagine, the spiritual fulfillment of a society based on partnership and no distinction between class or sex. Revering the natural force of the yin was never at the expense of yang, and the Tao Te Ching describes a time they coincided peacefully. Only when it was eventually believed that a male god decreed women subservient to them, we lost our way and were robbed our livelihood and begun an age of disparity, violence, and imbalance. I do not know if we could ever truly shift the paradigm back to its roots. But women- do not ever forget your origins and your power and your mystery. We are no less integral to the earth as we were then. I drew this as an ode to our divinity, and unexpectedly it could not have come through me at a more important time. I am truly grateful to every badass lady I am blessed to know. Your rallied voices through all of this chaos inspire me and give me hope. I love you all. ✊
Painted this for a "Love Hurts" art show at the Secret Chamber Oddities shop in Fairborn, Ohio. Pen and ink baked in coffee.
Went to the Cincinnati Art Museum with a bunch of dorks in my art class <3