Giant Vulva Sculpture Sparks a Culture War in Brazil

By Mary Anne R. First Posted: Jan 05, 2021 08:35 AM EST

A giant vulva sculpture on a hillside in northeastern Brazil has caused a fueled war between leftists and conservatives, including the close allies of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

According to an NBC News report, the 108-foot concrete and resin sculpture called "Diva" by artist Juliana Notari is standing on the site of a previous sugar mill turned into an open-air museum in Pernambuco state.

The sculpture was revealed last week, which Notari said it depicted both a vagina and a wound. It took 20 artists and 11 months to create.

Notari noted that the vulva sculpture questioned the relationship between nature and culture in a phallocentric and anthropocentric society. She wrote on a Facebook post that these issues have become growingly urgent today.

Controversy on the Vulva Sculpture

Aside from the cultural war that it caused between leftists and conservatives in the country, the vulva sculpture also becomes a hot trend in social media, with more than 25,000 people commenting on Notari's Facebook post.

One commenter wrote that he did not like it, citing reasons of what he would tell his young daughters if they see it in the park.

One female commenter replied: "With all due respect, you can teach your daughters not to be ashamed of their own genitals."

Many looked at the giant vulva sculpture positively, saying that there is a lot to think about the work. Trans cartoonist Laerte Coutinho echoed the same sentiment.

One fan said that they loved it, which is an intimate part of women exposed with such beauty, according to The Guardian report.

A film director from Pernambuco state, Kleber Mendonca Filho, praised Notari. He told Notari that the reactions to the vulva sculpture are a mirror of society, adding that it was a success.

But some Facebook users dubbed the giant vulva sculpture as leftist propaganda, obscene, and reprehensible.

Bolsonaro's political guru, Olavo Carvalho, slammed Notari's work and tweeted that the vulva sculpture should be dealt with by a 33m-long penis, according to The Art Newspaper report.

Since taking office in 2019, Bolsonaro has maligned culture and painting artists and criticized art he deems to be left-wing.

Brazil a Conservative Country

Meanwhile, Camila Oliveira, a researcher at the Brazilian Center for Analysis and Planning, said that people have started to boast about being conservative.

Oliveira noted that Bolsonaro's arrival made people and groups with more radical positions feel more comfortable to express themselves.

Angela Alonso, a sociologist at the University of São Paulo, said that the election of Bolsonaro to the presidential seat was a reflection of the growing conservatism of Brazilian society over many years in response to corruption and cronyism of previous administrations, as reported by the Financial Times.

Brazil was governed by the left for more than 15 years. Past Brazil president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who seated to power in 2002, is the first leftist leader in Brazil in nearly half a century, according to a BBC report.

Bolsonaro brands himself as someone different from the rest, saying that he is a clean candidate in the middle of a sea of corrupt politicians in Brazil during the past years.