Inflatable Love Doll #9, Concrete Sculpture, 2016

Bernadette Despujols  

Inflatable Love Doll #9 (2015-2017) Dimensions: 22 in. H x 13 in. W x 12 in. D (70 cm H x 30 cm W x 38 cm D) Concrete sculpture made with plastic and iron. A series of feminine cement chests comprised of plastic sex dolls filled with concrete, at first glance appears to be a contemporary truncated version of Hellenistic torsos. The inflatable love doll is a representation of the female body; it is both figurative and abstract, as it tries to reproduce the female figure, but remains true to its origins as an inflatable structure, standing as an object in its own right. The vagina is a pink hole, very abstract. By filling up the doll with concrete it turns into a solid sculpture, no longer movable or fuckable. Bernadette Despujols studied Architecture at the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV), before beginning her endeavors in art-making. She moved to the US to pursue her MFA in Visual Arts at the California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts) in 2010. Despujols’ artistic practice is highly expansive, as she incorporates a wide range of different media, including painting, sculpture, video, and installation. Her current work revolves and questions historical allusions, myths, and references regarding the perception of women, sex and contemporary life.