Judith x Holofernes Your Body, My Choice Protest Collection

"The Lord has struck him down by the hand of a woman". Judith from Bethulia is said to have freed the people of Israel from the siege by Nebuchadnezzar's army. Struck by her beauty, the Assyrian general invited her to a lavish banquet in his tent. After eating and drinking, Holofernes, now drunk, fell asleep on his bed, allowing Judith to seize her chance to draw her sword and strike the deadly blow. In this powerful painting depicted in the Judith Protest collection, (c. 1620), Artemisia Gentileschi portrays the moment that Holofernes is killed by the hand of the determined and powerful Judith. 

Gentileschi was an Italian Baroque painter. Gentileschi is considered among the most accomplished 17th-century artists. Many of Gentileschi's paintings feature women from myths, allegories, and the Bible, including victims, suicides, and warriors. Gentileschi was known for being able to depict the female figure with great naturalism and for her skill in handling colour to express dimension and drama. Her achievements as an artist were long overshadowed by the story of Agostino Tassi assaulting her when she was a young woman and Gentileschi being tortured to give evidence during his trial. In her interpetation of "Judith Beheading Holofernes" she depicts herself as Judith and Holofernes as Tassi. 

Embodying the spirit of her work, this collection combines Gentileschi's rage with the outrageous statement made by former Youtube American Far-Right political commenter, Nick Fuentes, who asserted "Hey Bit*h, we control your bodies. Your body our choice" in celebration of Donald Trump winning the 2024 American presidential election. In a play that twists the meaning of Nick's words, framed by Gentileschi avenging herself, the designer, Kady Brown (KadyRoxz) reminds audiences that women are not mere objects vulnerable to the whims of men. Women are humans with autonomy capable of both creation and destruction. 

Tread lightly...