Renowned artist Margaret Curtis produced this larger-than-life charm bracelet installation made from gilded polymer clay and repurposed found objects. The “charms” subvert the romanticization or sentimentality that often surround female reproductive capacity by depicting aspects of living with a female body in our culture that are normally censured or shrouded in silence and shame. From a child’s first pelvic exam to the pain of perimenopausal bleeding; from birth via C-section to pregnancy termination; from the invasiveness of fertility treatments to the joy and tedium of lactation, this piece includes “charms” that anyone can relate to, physically and emotionally, irrespective of sexuality or status as a mother. The sculptural installation is rife with metaphor, visual puns, allusions to art history, and social commentary.
