My work "Reclaim (sculpture)" consists of a metal and armor-like underwear set with hinges that allow the underwear to open and close like gates to the naked female body. The feminine underwear and the more masculine metal work together to create a shield against rape and sexual assault culture. Furthermore, the work allows the wearer to reclaim the right to their own body and decide when this protective armor is open or closed. Installed half-open, the work invites viewers to imagine themselves entering the sculpture's negative space and wearing it as a shield.

The sculpture reappears in the complementary work: "Reclaim (GIF)", which depicts the armor-like underwear being taken off and on by an avatar of myself. As the armor is removed, it is revealed that the avatar has no nipples or pubic hair. To the viewer, the avatar has virtually no breasts or a vagina. Is the avatar's body naked without nipples or vagina? Can she become a sex object without her "female" body parts? With nothing revealed beneath her metal bra and underwear, the avatar escapes the male gaze and unwanted sexualization. Through GIF, the sculpture transforms into a fantasy of how peaceful her life would be as an avatar woman without her sexual and sexualized body parts. As a digital avatar floating in nothingness, I finally feel the ecstasy of having bodily autonomy, something that has felt practically unattainable in the real world."

Follow Amanda at @amandakessaris

Photos: I DO ART Agency.