Snapping and shooting since the ripe age of 15, the Toronto born 21 year old photographer Petra Collins opened ‘Pussy Pat‘ on March 8th in honor of International Women’s Day @Muddguts Gallery in Brooklyn, New York. Known for her ‘provocative’ menstruating vagina T-shirt designed specifically for American Apparel (read interview w/ Collin’s on her satisfaction with AA’s irrational reaction to the Graphic T:HERE) and her photographic portraits which explore the censorship and depiction of the female body- whether her work is too risque or not, it is refreshing to know that significant questions surrounding the representation of the female body on today’s biggest social media platforms are continuously being raised.
Playfully yet poignantly executed, the show features 24 talented female artists with creatively driven, multi-faceted backgrounds. Exhibiting an assortment of works from budding and blooming artists such as Indie Menuez, Jane Moseley, Julia Baylis, and Arvida Bystrom, Petra noted
“The act of the pussy pat signifies a departure from our male-dominated image to one that is exclusively our own,much like masturbation, the pat is an act we do to ourselves and for ourselves. Essentially, the pussy pat is a salute to our sisters.”
Check the video:
Contact Muddguts Gallery for more info: HERE
Simultaneous to this exhibition, Petra’s first solo show ‘Discharge‘ is now on display @ Capricious 88 in New York, NY until the 27th of April. Discharge is a culmination of work that illustrates changed prospective as it relates to the different stages of female development in a hypersexualized beauty-obsessed society. Inspired by pop-culture, female chat, and the likes of Rihanna, Collins aims to empower and change the way we look at woman and how they look at themselves.
For more info on Discharge go: HERE
