Gnaw

One thing that has always impressed me about contemporary art is its ability to shock an audience and communicate ideas to encourage change. Janine Antoni's work titled Gnaw is an excellent example of social critique through a creative medium.

Gnaw consists of 2 cubes of chocolate and lard, each weighing six hundred pounds. In 1992, Janine Antoni gnawed at these blocks creating indentations of her teeth, chin and nose. She then molded the chocolate and lard which she removed from the blocks and sculpted a box of chocolates and lipstick.

This unsettling and even grotesque piece exhibits ideas of human consumption, desire and femininity as expressed not only by the final project but also by the act which she endured to create it. Instead of using industrialized forms of art like many of the time, Janine Antoni was willing to use her own body making it much more personal and shocking to the audience. While the teeth markings reveal brutality, out of the cubes comes lipstick and chocolate, two culturally accepted symbols of love and desire which uphold unrealistic expectations of women.

I find this piece highly interesting and captivating as the artist truly dedicated herself to her work as well as her critical message and took on her responsibility in influencing the society around her through her creativity.