The Great Wall of Vagina, 2011, Plaster.

The controversial Great Wall of Vagina created by British artist Jamie McCartney is making its way to London for a long awaited debut show. McCartney who set out to change female body perception through his art will also debut his latest innovative project, the Physical Photography series, at The Hay Hill Gallery in May.

Where?

5a Cork Street, London, W1S 3NY

When?

8th May – 2nd June 2012

How Much?

This exhibition is free and open to all members of the general public

Challenging and visually imposing the 9‐metre wall features individual plaster cast panels taken from 400 different women’s most intimate parts. The sculpture, which took 5‐years to complete, has attracted global interest – The Hay Hill gallery comments: “The pun in the title The Great Wall of Vagina belies a serious artwork of great social importance. It is a highly provocative response to the exponential rise in cosmetic labial surgeries, opposing any notion of a perfect aesthetic. Volunteers for the wall ranged in age from 18 to 76 and included mothers, daughters, identical twins, a pre and post‐natal woman and, rather provocatively, a woman pre and post labiaplasty. McCartney set out to alleviate the needless anxiety that is driving many women to contemplate surgery.”

The SKIN DEEP exhibition features over forty sculptures and photographs, focusing on notions of beauty and society’s obsession with the physical self. Of his pioneering Physical Photography series McCartney comments: “I wanted to depict my models in their natural state without recourse to the scourge of image manipulation. The impact of these full‐size body portraits of up to six feet square is extremely powerful. They celebrate both the human body and the human condition.”

Author: Hayhill

Hay Hill Gallery represents a number of internationally recognised contemporary and artists. Its exhibition program includes Masters such as A. Warhol, M. F. Husain, E. Munch and a selection of contemporary artists from around the globe.