# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
600 lb cube of chocolate and 600 lb cube of lard

# data[].attributes.body
The first thing we do as humans is bite. We put things in our mouths and spit them out, regardless of whether the object is toxic. Humans have a natural compulsion to put things into the mouth, reflecting the animalistic and violent nature of humans. However, the first food we receive into our mouths is the milk from our mothers. Several of Antoni's works play with the themes of motherhood. This biting and spitting can also be gentle and compassionate. In Gnaw, Antoni presents two massive 600-pound cubes of chocolate and lard ("Janine Antoni"). This piece comments on consumer culture and the pain of suffocating beauty standards. Consumer culture makes people feel that they constantly need to buy the next new thing, which can be due to advertisements or social influence. Antoni shows the ugly truth of this phenomenon: feeding into consumerism tears and gnaws away at both the consumer and the often underpaid producer in a way that fuels a cycle of inadequacy and solving internal problems with disposable external goods. The painful, time-consuming, and visceral way this piece is made comments on the frustrating nature of ever-changing beauty standards that force the human body to contort into unnatural shapes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Bust: 24 x 16 x 13 inches (60.96 x 40.64 x 33.02 cm) (each, approximately)Pedestal: 45 7/8 x 16 inches (116.01 x 40.64 cm) (each)Installation dimensions: variable. Photographed by Lee Stalsworth at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C., 1999

# data[].attributes.body
Lick and Lather presents these two sculpted busts in the form of herself. These were then cast again seven times for each material: chocolate and soap. She precisely carved out the details by licking the chocolate and washing the soap with water. The use of seven statues is a connection to an ancient Greek belief that a perfectly proportioned and beautiful body was seven heads tall. The inspiration for this piece came from Antoni's visit to Venice and her observation of classical sculpture. The tradition of self-portraiture also intrigued her, as she wanted to explore what the purpose of self-portraiture is to her and how she could create an innovative contemporary piece. Self-portraits act as a way of immortalizing oneself, and using disposable and everyday materials like soap and chocolate goes against that principle. The piece discusses what makes a person human and how we present to the world. The necessary and intimate acts of eating a meal or bathing oneself is both universal and crucial to the human experience.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Performance with Loving Care hair dye, Natural Black. Dimensions variable. Photographed by Prudence Cumming Associates Anthony d’Offay GalleryLondon, 1993. 

# data[].attributes.body
Loving Care was made by Janine Antoni, mopping the floor of the gallery with her hair. Antoni's hair became the brush, and she used black hair dye as the paint. The audience stood around Antoni, but they were slowly pushed out of the gallery with Antoni's "mopping". The entire process of creating this piece is painfully slow and drawn out, yet it is precisely deliberate. The audience feels the ritualistic and meditative nature of the performance, encouraging them to reflect on the labor endured for daily activities. The expressive strokes of dye are a clear representation of the Abstract Expressionist movement, but hold a meaning tied to themes of domestic labor and femininity. Mopping is commonly associated with the traditional housewife's chore of cleaning and taking care of the household. Hair is one of the most prominent symbols of femininity, and here Antoni boldly mocks both the sentimental value of hair and the misogynistic expectations of modern women to conform to outdated values. She blurs the line between beauty, labor, and societal expectations, and asserts dignity in the mundane yet laborious tasks women face (Lindner).

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Full rawhide. 27 x 32 x 79 inches. Located at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. 

# data[].attributes.body
Antoni created Saddle by pulling an entire raw cowhide over a mold of her bent-over body. The mold was made by sectioning the body into five parts and casting it in fiberglass. Antoni remarks that the hide was sent to her like a "piece of raw meat". After the cowhide hardened, the mold was able to be removed, leaving a memory of Antoni's body. Interestingly enough, the title holds no meaning besides the fact that saddles are made out of leather, and so is the sculpture. The meaning behind this piece is the feeling of absence and its connection to memory. The sculpture presents the absence of both Antoni and the cow, leaving just a ghost and the manufactured memory of what the piece was. The viewer is forced to fill in the gaps and make assumptions about what is underneath the veil of cowhide. Even though we never saw Antoni, we feel her lack of presence. A void is created, and a sense of longing is revealed (Simmons).

# data[].attributes.body
Janine Antoni was born on 1964 January 19th, in Freeport, Bahamas. At the age of 13 in the year 1977, Antoni moved to Florida so she could attend boarding school. For college, she studied in New York, receiving a BA from Sarah Lawrence College in 1986 and an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1989. Throughout her career, Antoni has earned recognition on a national and global scale, with several prestigious awards to match this vast appreciation. Her works can be found in museums all over the world, with a specific focus on museums in New York as an homage to her current residence (Horodner).

Growing up in the Bahamas, Antoni wasn’t able to attend art galleries or museums. Like most children, she was introduced to art by crafting. Even when she was a young child, Antoni used unconventional materials to create (Odenbach). Utilizing the beautiful land as materials, she used sand, seashells, and other natural objects she found in the woods. Her crafts were often made to help and support others, such as selling at church fairs and making stage sets for high school theater productions (Fusaro). While none of Antoni’s artworks directly mention the Bahamas or its relevance to her work, she insists that it lies at the core of her art. As mentioned in class about artists of foreign background, Antoni also shares in the feeling of being an outsider. Being new to America left her feeling uncomfortable in her body, making her hyper-aware of her appearance and actions. This emotion is tied to Antoni’s use of her body as a tool and medium (Karamitsos).

Moving to the United States was where Antoni first learned and studied contemporary art. She recalls that this shift was frustrating to adjust to, making her dislike certain artists’ works that she now has learned to appreciate, such as Richard Long. This taught her to change her perspective on art that feels “different", something that should also be applied to Antoni’s work (Fusaro).

Studying at Sarah Lawrence College included classical training with still lifes and figure sculptures, while RISD exposed her to experimental conceptual art. This switch opened her eyes to the female artists Hannah Wilke and Carolee Schneeman. Antoni described the inspiration for her career as “the visceral language of the 1970s, but was able to look at it through the lens of feminist ideas from the 1980s” (Fusaro)

Antoni has a signature technique of sculpting and creating art, as she uses her body both as a tool and as a medium. Early on in her artistic career, she transformed unusual materials into beautiful and detailed sculptures. For example, some of Antoni’s most popular works exhibit large pieces of chocolate and soap, with their shape molded by either chewing, biting, or bathing. Antoni creates an intimate and natural way of creating art by highlighting art as a process and creation. Her unique way of creating emphasizes how there is more to an art piece than the finished product (Odenbach).

The audience plays a major role in Antoni’s pieces. Her inclusion and engagement with the viewer make the space feel relatable. The audience can see but also feel how physically and mentally tired Antoni becomes with her performances (Simmons).

The beginning of Antoni's artistic career focused on the messages of physical labor, the unique burdens of women, and how beauty standards impact women (Karamitsos). Next, Antoni shifted to focus on the experience of being a daughter and perceiving motherhood through the lens of a child. After Antoni became a mother in 2004, she created a series of artworks that delved into actually being the mother, offering an interesting contrast to her previous works. Many of her works also take inspiration from ancient mythology and practices (Jones).

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
27 heart-shaped packages made from the chewed remnants of the 600 lb cube and 130 lipsticks made from the chewed lard, mixed with pigment and beeswax

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Mixed media gilded with 24 karat gold lead (15 1/2 in x  1 1/2 inches). Commissioned by and resides at The Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. 

# data[].attributes.headline
Janine Antoni, I am tool and substance (2019)

# data[].attributes.subject
Janine Antoni, I am tool and substance (2019)

# data[].attributes.body
I am tool and substance present in the artist's hands in two distinct positions. First, a gold-painted fist presses against an open palm, creating an image reminiscent of a mortar and pestle. These tools are used for transforming materials, highlighting the idea that destruction is a natural part of creation. The body embodies both tool and substance, with each hand assuming a different role: one hand acts while the other is acted upon. Just as the fist presses into the palm, the bones are also imprinted into the frame.

When a moving object meets a stopping force, there are two choices: to break apart or to redirect the energy. The hands' body language conveys a self-supporting gesture of giving. The hand appears to want to expand beyond its structural limits, nearly disconnecting from the wrist. Surrounding this unfurling are cast hand bones, with negative and positive forms radiating outward. The gilded background advances, pushing the gestures into the background. In this context, the body serves as a portal for the painting to become reality ("Janine Antoni").

“I am tool and substance. I apply force, I rotate. I give way and transform, offering myself” ("Janine Antoni").

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Cover Girl Thick Lash Mascara on paper, 1124 winks per eye32 1/4 x 32 1/4 inches. Located in The Museum of Modern Art in New York.  

# data[].attributes.headline
Janine Antoni, Butterfly Kisses (1996-99)

# data[].attributes.subject
Janine Antoni, Butterfly Kisses (1996-99)

# data[].attributes.body
Butterfly Kisses presents a piece of paper split into two sides: left and right. Antoni's eyelashes paint each side, with the left and right lashes painting their respective sides. The title is about the act of giving someone a soft and gentle kiss, mimicking the feeling of a butterfly fluttering its wings on the skin. When feeling the likewise fluttering of eyelashes, one can imagine that it feels similar to the wings of a butterfly. Antoni uses this gesture of vulnerability and fragility to express the intimacy of sharing moments with loved ones. The piece evokes emotions tied to precious moments and small gestures of love, causing the viewer to remember and appreciate time spent with others and the peacefulness and joy that lies in quite soft love (Enright).

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Bathtub, lard, soap, and DorianSoap: 22 x 26 x 26 inches. Bathtub:: 30 x 70 x 25 inches. Installation dimensions: variable. Photographed by Jodi Nieva at Fundació “la Caixa,” Barcelona

# data[].attributes.body
Eureka was made by placing herself into a bathtub filled with lard. Since the tub was filled to the top, Antoni submerging herself caused some of the lard to spill out. While lying inside, she scraped off the lard that had overflowed, creating a perfect mold of her body. The extra lard was then mixed with water and lye to create a large cube of soap, which Antoni then washed the cube to slowly round out its edges ("Janine Antoni").

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
C-print, artist's frame and broken vessel (cobalt blue glazed porcelain balustre with gold ceramic ornamentation)Photo: 95 3/4 x 29 3/4 inches Broken vessel: 10 x 12 x 16 inches

# data[].attributes.body
Caryatid explores themes of balance and descent through its dual components: a photograph and a sculpture. The photograph presents a life-size image of the artist from behind, where she carries a large vessel atop her head, with her body serving as a pedestal in a manner reminiscent of classical Greek architecture, where female figures resemble columns supporting an entablature. When the photograph is inverted, the vessel transforms into a pedestal for the woman. This piece challenges the conventional link between a woman's body and a vessel. In Caryatid, the vessel is depicted as broken yet remains functional as a container. Antoni describes it, stating, “For me, maturity is epitomized in the vessel holding its broken self. I want the viewer to see the beauty in this inevitability” ("Janine Antoni"). The cause of the vessel's breakage is left unstated, inviting viewers to fill in the narrative void between the photographic image and the broken vessel before them.

# data[].attributes.body
Theme and Message: Antoni's artistic themes all revolve around the world of femininity and what it means to be a woman in the modern age. In detail, her works have respectively centered on beauty standards, family and motherhood, and playing on mythology (Enright). In my presentation, I will focus on Antoni's way of memorializing everyday objects and transforming them into detailed sculptures and pieces that everyone can appreciate. Antoni's main message with all of her art is for the audience to get involved. She urges the viewer to further analyze how, when, and why objects around us are made, and how we can relate that to our physical body and being. Antoni's art strives to let people "arrive into their bodies" and fully experience the world as we see, feel, smell, and touch (Simmons).

Landmark Piece: Her most famous piece that has largely defined Antoni is Lick and Lather. This has defined her as an innovative performance and cultural artist who plays with everyday yet unconventional materials.

Artistic Technique: Antoni’s artistic technique is what makes her stand out as an artist. Antoni’s use of everyday materials like chocolate and soap and transforming them into sculptures is unique. Along with that, Antoni participates in performance art that uses her body as a tool and vessel for a greater message (Fisher).

Exhibitions and Recognition: Her work has been praised and exhibited worldwide and at major museums. She has also earned awards and recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, the Frederick Douglass Award, and the Anonymous Was a Woman Award. Her art has been showcased in the MoMA and the Whitney Museum of American Art to name a few ("Janine Antoni").

Inspirations: Her work is commonly associated and compared with other female artists like Sherrie Levine, Cindy Sherman, and Marina Abramovic. Antoni’s artworks have been inspired by these women and their focus on the feminist art movement and personal experiences. These artists have worked to deconstruct gender norms, beauty standards, and stereotypes (Fusaro).