Lick and Lather

Janine Antoni

Description:
Two self-portraits one made of chocolate
and one made of soap.
They are almost the same busts. However,
the colour is different, one is brown and the
other is white.
The background consists of a totally white
wall with two identical white pillars. The
busts are standing on top of the pillars, in
front of the wall.

First impression:
My first impression was quite positive. I think they are weird sculptures but nicely made.
Despite the fact that all the busts are damaged, their appearance is quite modern and nice.
The used materials look strange. As mentioned before the background is just a white room
and two white pillars. This gives me an empty feeling. Because of the white background you
focus on the busts. I think the white one is very elegant and the brown one is very rough and
detailed.

How:
There are fourteen self-portraits in total.
Seven made of chocolate and seven made of soap.
In the beginning all the busts were identical. However, after finishing the sculptures by
licking and using the soap they are all unique.

Background info:
Janine was interviewed about her piece of art by a non-profit organisation called Art21. In
the interview she said the following: she wanted to work with the tradition of self-
portraiture as well as the art of creating classical busts. Beginning by making a mold directly
from her body, she continued by filling it with alginate. The result is that the mold shows
every detail, every little pore. After finishing the mold, she melted down thirty-five pounds
of chocolate and poured it into the mold. After removing the mold, she changed her image
by licking most of the chocolate.
She also cast herself into soap. These sculptures also started as an exact replica of herself.
She spent a few hours in the tub together with the statue. She slowly washed all of the
details of the statue away. A smooth undetailed surface remained. A quote from Janine: I
was thinking about how one describes the self and feeling a little uncomfortable with my
outer surface as the description of myself. This piece is very much about trying to be on the
outside of myself and have a relationship with my image. So, the process is quite loving.
According to Wikipedia was Janine Antoni born on january 19, 1964 in the Bahamas.
Janine is a contemporary artist, who creates work in performance art, sculpture, and
photography. Janine's pieces of art focus mostly on the process of making art and the
transitions of the concerning art into something completely different. She often uses her
body, as an entity or paying particular attention to body parts as tools. For example she
utilizes her mouth, hair, eyelashes and her brain (through technological scanning) to create
her artwork. Her work blurs the distinction between performance art and sculpture.

Conclusion:
My conclusion is that Janine creates lovely and impressive sculptures which help you to
broaden your horizon. Despite the fact that your inner personality remains the same, you
express yourself to the outer world in different ways. Dont let the outer world change who
you really are.

Sources:
Wikipedia
https://art21.org/read/janine-antoni-lick-and-lather/

Stefan de Reijer 4ve