This time we have something a little different -- an interview with South African creator, Alexa Venter. She fabricates and sells interactive, sex-positive art through her brand, Goddess of Genitalia. I first came across Alexa's work through her Instagram account and was delighted by the whimsical nature of her work. She exposes sexuality as something to be played with -- sweet like candy and fun to boot.
I loved learning about her journey as an artist and maker in the sex-positive sphere and hope you will too. This interview has been edited slightly for brevity and clarity. Enjoy!
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What does sex positivity mean to you?
To me, sex positivity is embracing yourself as a sexual being with desires and fantasies, loving your genitals and encouraging sexual education. It means not being ashamed of asking questions and not being ashamed of your sexual spirit. Basically, taking the shame away from consensual, safe sex and respecting how other people express their sexuality.
Can you describe yourself and your journey as an artist? What led to you starting Goddess of Genitalia?
I've always loved art, but when I got to high school my passion really grew. For the first time I got to really learn about art history and understand the importance of art. I started studying Fine Art at the University of Cape Town in 2014, where I was exposed to sculpture -- which I had never attempted before and really enjoyed. The brief of my first second year project was to transform an object made out of wood into something else. I chose to sculpt a rolling pin to look like a dildo and titled it Your Mom's Favourite Tool. I felt so shy about my idea at first, but got a lot of positive feedback from my peers and gained quite a bit of confidence from that. The subject matter was mostly met with broad smiles and laughter, which I really enjoyed! It was the first time I had made art that made people feel something, and the first time that my art made me feel something too.Throughout my studies I kept researching and creating work with different sexual themes, sometimes evoking the subject through visual metaphors like fruit, but mainly just being overt. In 2017 my good friend and fellow artist, Rain Patterson, drew a digital portrait of me and titled it Goddess of Genitalia. I felt that the name was so empowering; it made me feel proud of the work I had done. I used that as my Instagram handle. In my final year of studies I thought, "I love my art and I want to share it with the world." My Vulva pillows had been displayed in my graduate exhibition and a lot of people bought them, and because I enjoyed making them so much I decided to continue. That is what Goddess of Genitalia is: me making work that I love to make and sharing it with others.
What sort of materials have you worked with before, and what made you fixate on textiles for your brand?
In third year, my research focused on Kitsch art, specifically Jeff Koons. This led me to explore materials that had a kind of Kitsch appeal. I've worked with silicone as a material as well as often using it to make molds which allowed me to make multiples of my work. I really enjoy the Kitschy shiny plastic aesthetic of the silicone. Continuing with my Kitsch obsession, I created penis and vulva chocolates and even soaps, as I enjoy working with material which I can melt and pour into my own molds. My love for fabric came about in that same year which was when I hand-sewed my first Vulva pillow. I was drawn to the strange, shiny look of the crushed velvet fabric and enjoyed how it felt as well. When I showed my pillow to my peers for the first time, they began stroking and cuddling it and really interacting with the object; which I think was the beginning of my fabric obsession. I prefer to focus on soft fabrics which encourage interaction between the viewer and the art.
Sexuality is often a very polarised and emotional topic. Do you see your work as particularly personal or revealing?
My work is absolutely personal. When I was in high school, I was very interested in learning about and understanding sex, but was also uncomfortable with my own body and expressing myself as a sexual being. Despite not having been exposed to much porn, I thought the inner labia were 'supposed to' be neatly tucked away inside the outer labia. In comparison, my own labia poked out and were kind of messy-looking. I thought it was so ugly and nobody would ever want to have sex with me. Through working with genital imagery in my art, I was exposed to a huge variety of genital shapes. I discovered that all vulvas, penises and intersex genitals look so different and there is no way in which genitals are 'supposed' to look. This probably sounds corny, but working with sex through art changed my life.
Your large vulvas are about the size of the scatter cushions often used in living-room spaces. Was this a conscious choice? Can you expand on the idea of including personal body-parts in more neutral home (or office) environments?Yes; I want the Vulva pillows to read as being homely. A person's home is the place where they feel most at ease and adding a Vulva into that space may help someone to feel comfortable with that imagery. The Vulva becomes a part of that person's comfort zone. I consider my work to be art but also want people who would like to have one of the pillows to feel that it is art that is attainable. Cushions are familiar items that appear in many homes, so instead of calling my Vulvas "soft sculptures," I call them pillows.
How do you see your brand and your art progressing in the future? Is there anything else you want to try?
There are other products I have in mind which I'd like include; one of which being genital chocolates.
In the future I would love to create art for specific events and parties. I love the work I make and I really want people to see and interact with it in person.
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It was so great getting such amazing responses from Alexa. I highly recommend taking a look at her social media platforms, and, if you like what you see, consider supporting her work by purchasing a beautifully tactile Vulva pillow. They're handmade with love and will definitely start some fun conversations. Follow her work at the links below!
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