How very “Fight Club” of you Ms. Constantino
Nicola Constantino is the Argentinian artist responsible for Savon de corps (or Body Soap for those non-French speakers). Quite literally, it is Body Soap, as the bar of soap consists of 3% of her very own fat, obtained through liposuction. Very clever, turning something seen as ugly in certain societies into something beautiful, as it is carved in the shape of a woman’s torso. Moreover, the concept was displayed in such a manner as to be misconstrued as a marketing campaign. A large photograph of the semi-nude artist slipping into a bath emphasizes the element of beauty that traditionally is the crux of a soap advertisement accompanied by a small soap dish containing the luxury item in question.
Apart from this project completed in 2004, she has an affinity for casting molds of actual body parts, not solely extracted tissue. Her favorites distastefully range from the nipple to the navel and even where the “sun don’t shine.” To add to this vulgarity, she is her own interior decorator as well. Her large sofa, covered in anuses is placed in front of her wall of animal fetuses. A tube like section of the wall that spanned from the ceiling to the floor was removed and in it’s place were carcasses of animals. When going out, she carries with her a purse made of the very same material as her sofa. She makes other bags such as these for purchase.
I just hope I can get a hold of her business card. I know when I move out of my parents house and I’m looking for an interior decorator, I’ll have no one else. I think all of this insanity speaks for itself. If her goal was tacky and obscene, she’d certainly break the mold.
- Courtesy of The Chelsea Art Museum.
