Darci Hanna
MFA ’24 Fine Arts 2D
This sculptural installation evokes fruiting bodies, fertility, and the visual parallels of cellular growth across biota. It makes visual and visceral connections between produce and reproduction as well as breastfeeding and nourishment. For most of humanity, breastmilk is the first food that passes our lips. Breastfeeding is so central to our identities that we are categorized by it: Mammals are named for the Latin word mamma, which means “breast.” Although breasts’ evolutionary purpose is to feed our offspring, their sexualization in the United States often obscures this fact. Fruitful references our contemporary discomfort with (and legislation of) bared breasts and breastfeeding in the United States. It also draws attention to the persistent objectification of female bodies and how those bodies are frequently judged by their physical appearance and perceived “ripeness” in a youth-obsessed culture.
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Darci Hanna is an interdisciplinary artist and curator based in Somerville, Massachusetts. She is fascinated by the places where nature and culture interact, where biology and physiology become enmeshed in social and religious narratives and power structures.
Recent works focus on the complicated cultural landscape surrounding gender roles, objectification, breastfeeding, and early motherhood. In addition to painting, printmaking, and sculpting, she uses techniques inspired by traditional domestic arts such as sewing, quilting, weaving, and embroidering.
