Ford Foundation Gallery
Curated by Roxana Fabius, Kobe Ko, and Beya Othmani
Interactive sculpture installation, 2024
11x11 feet, height variable
Purple Placenta (2024) continues the ongoing transformation of Lilit by the artist and reconnects her through a fundamental aspect of Ettun’s practice, the creation of inflatable contemplative spaces. Based on the practices of the ancient artist-healers, whose therapeutic conversations with afflicted women helped to trap their demons and guide them through difficult situations, Ettun invites the audience to enter the protected space of the placenta. There, they are welcomed to take time to communicate with Lilit, answer her questions, think of their birth, abortion, fertility and loss stories, and elaborate on their difficulties. The practice of conversation and its benefits, as a way of letting go of what weighs on us, especially within feminine circles, has historically been deemed ‘gossip,’ as unconfirmed knowledge. However, with the passage of time and the adoption of regulated conversation as a tool by the medical industry, the importance and strength of these spaces, of being heard, have become clear.
Photo by Sebastian Bach
Photos by David CortesText from Lilit written on the snake: I wake up every morning to swallow the moon, and every evening I birth her. Some days the moon slides through me heavy and wet, and some days she’s stuck, refusing to get out.I whisper — wane your guilt and suffering, come out to fight for waxing love in a messy world.