EXHIBITION | Sarah Lucas at the Whitechapel Gallery

http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/sarah-lucas

'The bawdy euphemisms, repressed truths, erotic delights and sculptural possibilities of the sexual body lie at the heart of Sarah Lucas’s work (b. 1962). First coming to prominence in the 1990s with a show at London’s City Racing memorably titled, Penis Nailed to a Board, this British artist’s sculpture, photography and installation have established her as one of the most important figures of her generation.'

Lucas is a contemporary of Damien Hurst and shares some of the shock (but less awe) of his craft-meets-theory aesthetic. Her work features repeating themes of female sexuality - most prominently tights filled and arranged like disembodied legs. The subtext (when juxtaposed to ’sexy' imagery drawn from tabloid front pages) appears to be about the objectification of female sexuality. A large panel of multiple photos of her tights sculptures looks uncannily and uncomfortably like porn. However, if the ‘message’ is WOMAN ARE OBJECTIFIED that’s stating the blindingly obvious. That’s perhaps a little unkind, as the work is party historical not contemporary, and no where does she proclaim this is agitprop - but the net result seemed a little shallow. Indeed it shocked by seeming puerile - not the intention I presume.
But it what was good to see was humour - a wanking zeppelin; a piece featuring two hams in knickers on a bed could have been gross but was made funny with its title of " I might be shy but I am still a pig. “. And there were photo's of the artist where she was smiling - laughing even. Laughing in fine art photography ! I ask you.

The highlights for me were paintings made of fags - that looked like aboriginal art - their craft undermined (enhanced ?) by the dirty medium; a toilet made of transparent plastic that was cleverly warped to be reminiscent of a vagina (or am I a pervert ?); and mostly some of her aforementioned tights sculptures re-rendered as bronzes - if the subtext is ‘do not desire this - tights and pants are banal not sexy', then to re-make these things in shiny alluring bronze is a double twist that is more than engaging.