Photo: Aljaz Maher

I love to work with clay or other similarly malleable bodies.

It consists of everything I love about this planet; earth, water, wind, fire, spirit. I can completely immerse myself in this line of creative work. An important part of my work process is an intimate environment.

I`ve been interested in sexuality for as long as I can remember. At the same time, I was educated to be ashamed and hide body parts, fearing the consequences of freely expressing myself.

Feeling comfortable in one's own body is my aim, but also for men to feel comfortable and understand a woman's body, to communicate about it with ease and clarity, without shame and pretence.

I am not a revolutionary or feminist, or any kind of “warrior”.

I like the simplicity of the “product” we so elaborately designed. I am focusing on the naturalness, breaking it down to its simplest expression in order to familiarise myself and hopefully a wider audience with it again. There is no need for elaborate words or descriptions, it is what it is and I am inviting all our parts from exile. It comes down to the natural basics we banned.

Hiding the vulva, vagina, using other words or none at all, as if that part of us does not exist is outdated. How can you function fully and in a healthful way if you are not allowed to be whole? And this is not to put blame on anyone. It`s a state we brought ourselves to through centuries of denial, fear, looking away, hiding.

It`s not only about the vulva, but it`s also about womanhood and hopefully the end of the shameful era for women.

I envision conversations about the vulva, the vagina, about sex and fantasies without shame and guilt. It is shame and guilt and fear that prevents us from being creative all the time. And I am not talking about our sexuality exclusively. But if we are compelled to hide this part of ourselves, how can we be whole?

I imagine you see The Vulva (sculpture) exhibited and you have to stop to acknowledge that it is what you think it is and then think about it further, hopefully, talk about it with yourself, with someone else, with a lot of others and then I imagine you come out of it with a new perspective and familiarity that allows you to express yourself in a more open and tolerant way, perhaps you start your own journey towards (sexual) freedom right then and there.

You`ll get used to the word Vulva. It may sound strange at first.

I compare it with the German language; it can sound hard and unappealing, but then you watch “The Sky over Berlin” and it sounds poetic. You can choose for yourself what it will sound and feel for you.

Centuries of misconceptions, shame, fear, secrets, abandonment to the point of “earasement” – non-existing in the eye of society and consequently ignored by most individuals to the point of killing it (figuratively and otherwise), has brought us to this point of awakening.

A woman who knows herself, her power, her body, her body functions, her authentic nature, is dangerous and should be “crucified”, banned. At least part of her should be “put in the right place”. Into darkness that is. This kind of thinking is ignorant and it should make you stop and reexamine your own way of thinking about it.

I want to say "Viva la Vulva", and resurrect her from the land of sleep.

Love, Amíe