Menstrual Art

Whilst researching feminist art I came across a genre of artists who create menstrual art by painting with the menstrual flow itself. The artist Vanessa Tiegs created a series of paintings called ‘Menstrala’, Charon Luebbers built a menstrual hut and Lani Beloso, who suffered with menorrhagia, put her excessive blood loss direct from her body onto the canvas, creating 13 canvases in 13 years as she wanted to have something to show for the pain of her menorrhagia.

In the female body the reproductive system has been subject to age-old taboos which emerge in different countries, cultures and religions. It is necessarily understood that women should have protection and help around the time of pregnancy and labour, even animals search out secret places to birth and rear their young. However, ignorance or lack of understanding resulted in superstitions arising such as a milkmaid is not allowed near the dairy cow or else she would be blamed of souring the milk, or should not touch a fruit tree in case the fruit would spoil. Pliny the elder wrote in his Natural History, that bees left the hives, mares miscarried and corn in the fields withered at the touch of a menstruating woman. In Egypt it was believed that if she cooked for her family, touched or was just even in the same place there was a notion of pollution or even evil. So much similar ancient beliefs exist. Thank heavens for feminism which has been responsible for changing many old, outdated ideas. See below my sketch related to menstrual art.