How many of you had never heard the name in the title until just now? If you're like me, the name Sophy Rickett doesn't ring any bells. And that's a damn shame. I recently saw her work on my Facebook feed of all places, though it was mislabeled as something else. A reverse image search revealed the real creator & the rest was pisstory.
Sophy Rickett was born in London, where all of the photos in question were taken. Her first series, Pissing Women, came to prominence in the late 1990s on the early internet at a time when CCTV was becoming ubiquitous in British society. Many art critics didn't know what to make of the risque photos, assuming they were digitally altered in some way. No, Sophy insisted, she and her friends really peed like that. Do tell us more, ma'am. Predictably, they ended up on watersports/golden shower websites like the one you're reading now. Not sure how she'd feel about that but if you're reading this: I mean nothing but respect & reverence Ms. Sophy. Yeah, we may be total pervs around here but that doesn't mean we're not capable of appreciating quality art. 🖼 🛐
And this is definitely art with a deeper message. One of anti-surveillance, anti-sexism & just an all-around 'fuck you' to a society that puts pedophile royals & greedy billionaires on a pedestal while trying to dictate what constitutes "ladylike" behavior to the rest of us peasants. Did I mention many of these pics took place in the London's financial district? Well now I did.
"Silvertown" (From Pissing Women), 1995
"Vauxhall Bridge"
Rickett's photos are mostly taken at night & feature women in dressy office attire peeing boldly in a standing position. It's tempting to compare their stance to that of men, but that seems a tad sexist and simplistic to me. These ladies are truly masters of the standing piss, something their entirely relaxed, unbothered facial expressions belie. We should all hope to be such artful urinators. Included below are a few of the pics from the series which includes 26 photographs in all. It's been published by Climax Books for the first time ever so go support the artist & pick it up.
No comments:
Post a Comment