101 Vagina

101 Vagina is a black-and-white coffee table photo-book by Philip Werner, with a foreword by Toni Childs. It was self-published in March 2013 in Melbourne, Australia. The book contains 101 close-up nude photos shot in a non-provocative way, along with an accompanying story or message written by each woman about her vagina.

101 Vagina
AuthorPhilip Werner
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
SubjectFemale body image/sexuality
GenrePhotography
Published2013
Pages216
ISBN9780987409003

The book's photos and stories were exhibited five times in Australia in 2013, with a US and Canadian tour in 2014 taking place in six locations.

Publication

101 Vagina was funded by crowd sourcing and took some two years to create.[1][2] Werner was initially inspired by The Vagina Monologues and subjects were found via social media after Werner publicised his objective to create a book that had both an educational and celebratory goal.[1][3] The models, ranging in age from 18 to 65, remain anonymous. Singer-songwriter Toni Childs, who wrote the foreword, made contact with Werner after he initiated a peace march in honour of murdered Australian Broadcasting Corporation employee Jill Meagher in his Brunswick, Victoria, neighbourhood.[4]

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald about the book, Werner commented that: "I hope it finds its way to a few young women and girls...So they see that [these pictures are] normal rather than pictures in magazines."[5] Stories accompanying the photos discuss various themes, including ageing, pregnancy, Brazilian waxing, first sexual encounter and poor body image.[6]

Reception

On publication 101 Vagina received broad media coverage, including write-ups in The Age,[1] The Sydney Morning Herald[5] and La Presse in Montreal.[7] It was also discussed on ABC Radio National[8] and 2SER.[9]

Exhibitions

101 Vagina was presented as an exhibition on several occasions in Australia in 2013. This included being part of The Sydney Fringe[10] and Melbourne Fringe Festival.[11] In 2014, it was officially launched in the US and Canada with a series of exhibitions. The tour included Los Angeles[12] and Laguna Beach.[2]

Controversy and censorship

In Sydney, the exhibition was visited by police responding to a complaint that the images were visible from the street.[13][14] Images were required to be censored as part of a group exhibition at The Sydney Fringe.[15]

See also

References
  1. Carbone, Suzanne (14 March 2013). "Here's a lesson on vaginas 101". The Age. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  2. Hansen, David (24 April 2014). "Hansen: The Shame and Joy of 101 Vaginas". Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  3. Price, Jenna (November 20, 2012). "Bodybits 101: the personal side of Selfies". Canberra Times. Fairfax Media.
  4. Robson, Suzanne (18 March 2013). "Private parts go public for a cause in coffee table book". Herald Sun. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  5. Berry, Sarah (20 March 2013). "Private parts go public". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  6. Bielski, Zosia (June 12, 2014). "Controversial exhibit unveils natural beauty of 101 women". Globe and Mail. Globe and Mail.
  7. Bernier, Marie (31 May 2014). "Portraits Intimes" (in French). La Presse. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  8. Smith, Amanda (14 April 2013). "What lies below". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  9. "A Vagina Festival in the Studio". www.2ser.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015.
  10. Rosenberg, Jess (20 September 2013). "101 Vaginas on Display". Broadsheet. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  11. listing. "101 Vagina book – exhibition". melbournefringe.com. Archived from the original on 2013-09-17. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  12. Gonzales, Nanette (April 8, 2014). "101 Vagina Art Show @ Think Tank Gallery (NSFW)". LA Weekly. LA Weekly.
  13. Stubbs, Vanessa (28 June 2013). "Hide the vagina". MX - Sydney. News Ltd.
  14. Sano, Melanie (1 July 2013). "Police Monitor Vagina Exhibition". Visual Arts Hub. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  15. Hunt, Adam (September 19, 2013). "Vagina censorship offensive". City Hub. Altmedia. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
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