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Re: For senior, abortion a medium for art, political discourse
For senior, abortion a medium for art, political discourse
Martine Powers
Staff Reporter
Published Thursday, April 17, 2008
Art major Aliza Shvarts '08 wants to make a statement.
Beginning next Tuesday, Shvarts will be displaying her senior art project, a documentation of a nine-month process during which she artificially inseminated herself "as often as possible" while periodically taking abortifacient drugs to induce miscarriages. Her exhibition will feature video recordings of these forced miscarriages as well as preserved collections of the blood from the process.
The goal in creating the art exhibition, Shvarts said, was to spark conversation and debate on the relationship between art and the human body. But her project has already provoked more than just debate, inciting, for instance, outcry at a forum for fellow senior art majors held last week. And when told about Shvarts' project, students on both ends of the abortion debate have expressed shock . saying the project does everything from violate moral code to trivialize abortion.
But Shvarts insists her concept was not designed for "shock value."
"I hope it inspires some sort of discourse," Shvarts said. "Sure, some people will be upset with the message and will not agree with it, but it's not the intention of the piece to scandalize anyone."
The "fabricators," or donors, of the sperm were not paid for their services, but Shvarts required them to periodically take tests for sexually transmitted diseases. She said she was not concerned about any medical effects the forced miscarriages may have had on her body. The abortifacient drugs she took were legal and herbal, she said, and she did not feel the need to consult a doctor about her repeated miscarriages.
Shvarts declined to specify the number of sperm donors she used, as well as the number of times she inseminated herself.
Art major Juan Castillo '08 said that although he was intrigued by the creativity and beauty of her senior project, not everyone was as thrilled as he was by the concept and the means by which she attained the result.
"I really loved the idea of this project, but a lot other people didn't," Castillo said. "I think that most people were very resistant to thinking about what the project was really about. [The senior-art-project forum] stopped being a conversation on the work itself."
Although Shvarts said she does not remember the class being quite as hostile as Castillo described, she said she believes it is the nature of her piece to "provoke inquiry."
"I believe strongly that art should be a medium for politics and ideologies, not just a commodity," Shvarts said. "I think that I'm creating a project that lives up to the standard of what art is supposed to be."
The display of Schvarts' project will feature a large cube suspended from the ceiling of a room in the gallery of Green Hall. Schvarts will wrap hundreds of feet of plastic sheeting around this cube; lined between layers of the sheeting will be the blood from Schvarts' self-induced miscarriages mixed with Vaseline in order to prevent the blood from drying and to extend the blood throughout the plastic sheeting.
Schvarts will then project recorded videos onto the four sides of the cube. These videos, captured on a VHS camcorder, will show her experiencing miscarriages in her bathrooom tub, she said. Similar videos will be projected onto the walls of the room.
School of Art lecturer Pia Lindman, Schvarts' senior-project advisor, could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.
Few people outside of Yale's undergraduate art department have heard about Shvarts' exhibition. Members of two campus abortion-activist groups . Choose Life at Yale, a pro-life group, and the Reproductive Rights Action League of Yale, a pro-choice group . said they were not previously aware of Schvarts' project.
Alice Buttrick '10, an officer of RALY, said the group was in no way involved with the art exhibition and had no official opinion on the matter.
Sara Rahman '09 said, in her opinion, Shvarts is abusing her constitutional right to do what she chooses with her body.
"[Shvarts' exhibit] turns what is a serious decision for women into an absurdism," Rahman said. "It discounts the gravity of the situation that is abortion."
CLAY member Jonathan Serrato '09 said he does not think CLAY has an official response to Schvarts' exhibition. But personally, Serrato said he found the concept of the senior art project "surprising" and unethical.
"I feel that she's manipulating life for the benefit of her art, and I definitely don't support it," Serrato said. "I think it's morally wrong."
Shvarts emphasized that she is not ashamed of her exhibition, and she has become increasingly comfortable discussing her miscarriage experiences with her peers.
"It was a private and personal endeavor, but also a transparent one for the most part," Shvarts said. "This isn't something I've been hiding."
The official reception for the Undergraduate Senior Art Show will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 25. The exhibition will be on public display from April 22 to May 1. The art exhibition is set to premiere alongside the projects of other art seniors this Tuesday, April 22 at the gallery of Holcombe T. Green Jr. Hall on Chapel Street.
http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/24513
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I dont even know what to say... I'm fucking speechless. 
Re: For senior, abortion a medium for art, political discourse
That's FUCKED. I'm not anti-abortion or anything, but I draw the line here... it's absolutely disgusting and despicable that this is going to be exhibited to the public. No one wants to see this. And who knows what kind of damage she did to herself in the process.
I'm also curious about the "sperm donours." Sounds to me like she just got freaky for 9 months and fucked everyone she met.
Re: For senior, abortion a medium for art, political discourse
^^ I think so. It's disgusting & she fucked her body for some stupid art project. Personally I'm pro-life (up until my girlfriend gets pregnant 
j/k) but I support others right to choose under their own circumstances. However, I don't support (any) women just liberally having abortions left & right. That's Fucked up & does a disservice to all the girls out their who do choose to raise a baby even under tough times & be a single mother.
Stupid bitch. I would never marry or date this chick. She's probably annoying anyway.
- DoubleTalkingJive
- Rep: 74
Re: For senior, abortion a medium for art, political discourse
Yeah well she'll realize when her body can't hold a baby when she want's to get pregnant. When you have or "induce" too many abortions your uterus doesn't hold a baby when you really want one.
What people do for art I really can't understand, but I get the whole abstract creative thing but this is definitely too fucking far. Try some plaster or clay and create these images, rather then actually doing it.
Fucking people man
- Communist China
- Rep: 130
Re: For senior, abortion a medium for art, political discourse
I bet Marilyn Manson is pissed he didn't think of this first. Sick.
Re: For senior, abortion a medium for art, political discourse
Marilyn Manson's actually an intelligent, articulate, captivating artist. Whatever the mainstream media's misconceptions about him, lumping him in with this pathetic stunt is just silly.
James, she's actually now denying it was a hoax, last I heard. Either way it doesn't matter. It's not art, it's simply in poor taste. Anyone trying to make a valid pro-choice argument was just given an extra mile to leap thanks to this dumb bitch.
Re: For senior, abortion a medium for art, political discourse
James, she's actually now denying it was a hoax, last I heard. Either way it doesn't matter. It's not art, it's simply in poor taste. Anyone trying to make a valid pro-choice argument was just given an extra mile to leap thanks to this dumb bitch.
She's actually saying it was an art project, a "performace art" project. The "performace art" being the act of sending out a press release, coming up with the disgusting idea etc. Still a hoax, I think she's trying to make a statement about Yale supporting her idea, until the media got hold of it, then maybe they seemed to disassociate them from her. Whatever, kinda lame. Reminds of those college students in the movie PCU "We're not gonna protest!!"
