The Politics of the Flesh explores the ways in which religious and societal norms shape our perception of the human body. The work presents two framed objects: on the left, a silicone cast of a female vulva; on the right, an artificial accessory worn inside underwear to create a “perfect” camel-toe silhouette. Each object is labeled “Haram” and “Halal”.
By marking the natural body as “forbidden” and the artificial as “permitted”, the installation exposes the paradoxes and absurdities of moral systems rooted in the Abrahamic religions. These systems reward modesty, concealment, and simulation, while condemning the real, living body. Modesty cultures repress the direct visibility of the female body, but simultaneously stimulate a covert demand for sexualized signs. The work reveals how notions of purity, shame, and propriety are not universal truths, but cultural constructions designed to regulate and control the body.
The Politics of the Flesh questions who holds the authority to define what is “decent”, “moral”, or “acceptable” — and highlights how the artificial can become more socially permissible than the real.