Repression 4

This painting raises the issue of gender and the role of women in the hierarchy of the Christian faith. My work is based on the link between religion and erotic art, Christianity's fear of the flesh having catapulted Lust to the level of “deadly sin”. Patriarchal systems of representation in Christianity have repressed the knowledge that the Virgin Mary's body is a sexual one, and the female body, sexuality and sexual desire are often proposed as a threat to rational, 'civilised' society. This painting aims to challenge sexual repression, blasphemy and the freedom of expression.