The Los Angeles Center for Digital Art exhibition, the Electron Salon, is up for most of June. My piece, “Crimson Reign,” my interpretation of the Queen of Hearts is on display. This is the third image in my My Body, My Blood, My Rules series. Not only is the Queen having a messy period, she seems to be enjoying herself. Menstruation is a topic that is still taboo with many and my goal is to produce a series that will help destigmatize it.
In this print, we see that the Queen of Hearts, amidst the crimson chaos of her Wonderland court, has found herself enthroned in a state of dual turmoil. A wave of internal cramping, a dull and insistent ache low in her belly, mirrored the fiery impatience that so often defined her reign. Her usual bellow of “Off with their heads!” simmered just beneath the surface, intensified by a volatile cocktail of hormonal rage and a gnawing fatigue that settled deep within her bones.
Yet, in the shadowed privacy of her chambers, a different, more deliberate storm was brewing. Her fingers, usually pointed in accusation or gripping a flamingo croquet mallet, sought a softer, more rhythmic purpose. It was a secret rebellion against the rigid confines of her own tyrannical nature, a selfish act of solace in a kingdom where her pleasure was law, yet her own was so rarely considered. The fleeting moments of self-induced bliss were a stark, shuddering contrast to the ever-present throb of her womb, a temporary abdication of her throne of fury for a fleeting reign of private, pulsating release.
Click to listen to an informative and entertaining, Gemini Broadcasting discussion of this work. You can watch a video of the exhibition here. The Instagram posts are here and here.
