Mary Jo Anderson

Sculptural objects

Anderson states, "The body worshipped in our society is sensationalized, idealized, a media/consumer image. In our actual lives, its function and byproducts are often regarded as repulsive and are not spoken of, except in hushed tones. Why should this attitude be so?" Anderson sees her work as a subversive reclamation wherein she camouflages an object that has about the same status as toilet paper (you miss it when its not there but would rather not think about it otherwise), and makes it beautiful and desirable. When the viewer recognizes what is being presented, laughter and embarrassment are often the result. But that initial attraction, desire and admiration cannot be forgotten or denied. The artist seeks the uneasy waffling between repulsion and attraction--function lost in service to beauty. The successful realization of the artist's intent occurs when the tension directed towards the physical realities of the female reproductive cycle are diffused with a mixture of aesthetics and humor.