Since the 1990s, Sarah Lucas has been recognized for her provocative installations and photographs infused with British wit and humour. She belongs to the Young British Artists group - graduates from Goldsmith's College's celebrated Fine Art program - a group that became famous because of the Sensation exhibition (Royal Academy, London, 1997). In order to disrupt certainties, the artist deconstructs gender codes by mixing well-known artistic references with crude allusions to pop culture. After producing sculptures that were essentially formalistic during the 1980s, the discovery of feminist theories gave her art its true impetus. Her work revolves around the realization that the popular British media grants extraordinary importance to sexuality, violence, and sensationalism in general. In a series of photographic self-portraits (1990-1998), she adopts defiant antifeminine stances, exaggerating and blurring gender roles by appropriating masculine constructions to challenge the spectator. She also creates installations that display obvious allegorical triviality. In 1994, her work Au naturel showcased a certain type of sexual education with her timeless, characteristic biting wit.
Fabienne DUMONT
