The Unveiling of Sarah Lucas: Unmasking the Secret Embarrassments within the Art World

Sarah Lucas, a London-born artist with a career spanning over three decades, has created a world abundant with body parts. In her works, she ingeniously combines irreverence and innuendo to produce sculptures, self-portraits, and works on paper that not only evoke amusement and surprise, but also provoke deeper contemplation.

As part of the "Happy Gas" retrospective at London's Tate Britain gallery, one of Lucas' iconic works, "Chicken Knickers," is featured among more than 75 other pieces. This 1997 photograph captures the lower half of the artist's body adorned in white flannel underwear, with a raw chicken affixed to the front, exposing its rear orifice. The blown-up image covers an entire gallery wall, serving as a colossal visual play on genitalia. It sets the tone for the exhibition's first room, which is brimming with the artist's uncanny and thought-provoking sculptural forms.

"Florian" and "Kevin," are just "big veg," said Lucas. Seen here installed in the grounds of the Tate Britain gallery in 2023.

During an interview with CNN on the day of the exhibition preview, Lucas stated that how one responds to the artwork reveals as much about themselves as it does about the art. She emphasized that her intention is not to dictate people's thoughts, as it ultimately depends on the individual's own experiences and potential hidden insecurities. She acknowledged that everyone has aspects they may feel embarrassed about, highlighting the universality of such emotions.

Lucas initially gained acclaim as part of the Young British Artists (YBAs), a group of ambitious students from Goldsmith University who captivated the art world in the 1990s with their unfiltered honesty and playful nature (think of them as a British forerunner to the daring antics of MTV's "Jackass"). Other notable YBAs include Tracey Emin, renowned for her confessional works like "My Bed," and Damien Hirst, known for his vibrant pop art-inspired prints and grandiose installations, such as a shark suspended in formaldehyde.

Like her fellow YBAs hailing from humble backgrounds, Lucas began by incorporating everyday objects like toilets, newspapers, and chairs into her artwork. Her pieces are often seen as embodying a distinct Britishness that is both raunchy and perceptive. The artwork "Fat, Forty and Flab-ulous," created in the 1990s, is a reproduction of a page from the now defunct Sunday Sport newspaper, which was prominent during the peak of the UK's tabloid journalism era. The story revolves around a husband who supposedly offered his overweight wife for sale, accompanied by photographs of a partially clothed woman in lingerie. ("Happy Gas" itself refers to recent British headlines linking recreational nitrous oxide usage to antisocial behavior.)

Sarah Lucas'"Sandwich 20042020."

Lucas' artwork, displayed at Max Colson/Courtesy the artist/Sadie Coles HQ London/Tate Britain, has a similar effect to a well-crafted joke. It manages to provoke and engage audiences, perhaps influenced by the context in which it is encountered. According to Lucas, being in a gallery setting makes people more conscious of their thoughts. However, she clarifies that her intention is not solely to surprise or deceive people. She values genuine reactions, whether it be laughter or an emotional response, and notes that her artwork also has a physical aspect to it.

In the realm of British art, Maggi Hambling is considered to be the original rebellious figure.

The art series titled "Bunnies" was initiated by Lucas in the late 1990s and continues to this day. This collection comprises of over 25 sculptures, each devoid of facial features but possessing anthropomorphic qualities. These sculptures serve as a subtle reference to the waitresses, known as Playboy Bunnies, who sported revealing outfits while working at the once-popular chain of adult entertainment clubs. Lucas' headless figures are a combination of various appendages and breasts. Initially, she used stuffed nylons to create them, but later incorporated materials like resin, bronze, and a diverse combination of other materials. These sculptures are often seen wrapped around chairs or straddling them. In the earlier sculptures, the limbs appeared lethargic, but as time progressed, they became more voluptuous and were even seen wearing high-heeled shoes. Lucas expressed her reasoning for this aesthetic change, stating that she grew tired of the limbs simply ending without feet. She also admitted to enjoying the whimsical and playful addition of vibrant and colorful shoes.

Sarah Lucas Mumum 2012. The artist is known for mixing irreverence and innuendo in her work.

"I would never wear those shoes as they would cripple me," she says, gesturing towards her own exaggeratedly large, yet surprisingly comfortable, pink plastic sandals. "Creating things sometimes allows us to possess what we may not have otherwise. It's like wishful fulfillment."

Christina Quarles, a queer artist of mixed race, is revolutionizing the world of nude art. With her unconventional and captivating paintings, she brings to life characters like "Fat Doris," who confidently wears brown platforms while relaxing in a vintage patterned lounge chair. "Cool Chick Baby" gracefully rests her spike-heeled lace-ups on a worn velvet club chair. And then there's "Cross Doris," with her arms tightly folded in anger—a result of an unexpected twist of fate. Lucas, Quarles's alter ego, shares the intriguing story of how frustration led to artistic magic. In a moment of annoyance, Quarles threw aside the unfinished bunny that would later transform into "Cross Doris." Days later, to her surprise, she discovered the bunny sitting there, adopting the defiant pose that now defines this evocative artwork.

"Cross Doris" forms part of an ongoing collection of work titled "Bunnies." There are more than 25 varieties of the sculpture in the show.

She concludes that the best things often occur when we least expect them or when we're not actively paying attention, perhaps even when something goes wrong. This is why it becomes even more challenging to accurately define their true significance.

Lucas hesitates to clarify whether she is consciously conveying a message pertaining to gender or the objectification of women through her bunnies or any of her other artistic creations. "I'm not intentionally doing it," she asserts. "But maybe unknowingly. I mean, would it be perceived differently if a man created it instead of a woman? Most likely. People tend to perceive women's work differently simply because of their gender."

The artist finds more fascination in how her art stimulates the imaginations of individuals, as well as the dynamic between gallery visitors and these figures that seem to possess a life of their own. Lucas remarks that at times, it feels as though the artworks "are aware of the viewers, as if they are observing you; you experience that during interaction with them."

Lucas burst onto the British art scene around the same time as Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.

In "Happy Gas," there is a diverse array of phallic objects. These include plaster phalluses, fluorescent light phalluses, and a fresh collection of "Tim Toms," which are black bronze cat sculptures resembling penises scattered throughout the exhibition. One notable piece is "William Hambling," a concrete gourd spacious enough to lie on. Additionally, two companions named "Florian" and "Kevin" are positioned within the grounds of Tate Britain. Upon questioning the significance of these gourds, Lucas, who resides in Suffolk's countryside, adamantly asserts that these colossal pieces are simply "garden furniture" with no deeper meaning. According to her, they are purely representations of oversized vegetables.

"Happy Gas" is on at Tate Britain until January 14, 2024.