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Nicolás Guagnini from 77 Testicular Imprints, 2007
‘The paintings were produced with oil paint applied directly to the artist’s testicles and imprinted on various bound and ephemeral printed matter including: mainstream magazines such as Time and Life; art market staples such as Artforum, Art in America and Art News; exhibition and auction catalogues; rare magazines and artist’s books; personal letters; and lastly, on an assortment of original artworks, poems and studio notes by Vito Acconci, Simon Bedwell, Alejandro Cesarco, and Dan Graham.’
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Morwenna Catt David Cameron Voodoo Testicles, 2014
‘I’m not partisan and I’m happy to ‘voodooize’ any political testicles to order – I’d be particularly keen to ‘set to’ the crown jewels of Nigel farage. Do get in touch if you’re interested!’
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Carroll Dunham Composite Image (Testicles), 2003
Watercolor, acrylic and graphite on linen
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Dan Gerbo Ball breaker, 2016
Real testicles conserved in formalin
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Daniel Bitton Scrote n’ Tote Backpack, 2015
‘Not surprisingly, Daniel Bitton’s photo of himself standing in line for a show wearing a backpack that resembled a giant scrotal sac went viral last year. This led thousands of people (really, thousands) to request one, so Daniel has obliged and created the Scrote n’ Tote. He has launched a crowdfunding campaign to get the proper materials to turn the prototype – which is too heavy and too delicate – into a sturdy and lifelike functioning backpack / knapsack. Once fully funded, he plans on selling the Scrote ‘n’ Tote for $120 USD (plus shipping).’
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Piero della Francesca Burial of the Sacred Wood, 1452-1459
fresco
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Sam Francis Blue Balls, 1962
Watercolour on paper
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Denis Defrancesco King Kong Balls, 2019
‘His majestic approach gives a new spirit to grey streets, feeling as comfortable as in a green garden. King Kong Balls’ exotic look catches every single passerby’s attention. His fascinating expression is the right decoration for large spaces, due to his dimensions and weight.’
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Flying Testicle Testicle Rider, 1993
‘Early 90s experimental/noise trio which included Masami Akita (Merzbow), Maso Yamazaki (Masonna) and Zev Asher (Roughage).’
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Sue Williams Various, 1997 – 2010
‘In these abstracted images of testosterone stress, Williams’ invention could be called the “scrotal line,” a kind of ragged arabesque that is peculiarly familiar but never before committed to canvas. And that would be, of course, decrepit old-man scrotum, not fresh new baby scrotum. It’s a wow.’
Testicle Flange on the Green, 1997
War of the Testicles, 2010
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Bob Flanagan You Always Hurt the One You Love, 1991
‘In You Always Hurt the Ones You Love (1991), Flanagan sings and enacts his personhood at his head, using humour as a device to further contradict the victim/deviant label, while his body is transformed into an object by nailing his penis and testicles to a plank of wood.’
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Unknown Tanuki, 1952
‘Ceramic statues of Tanuki are found everywhere in modern Japan, especially outside bars and restaurants, where a pudgy Tanuki effigy typically beckons drinkers and diners to enter and spend generously (a role similar to Maneki Neko, the Beckoning Cat, who stands outside retail establishments.) In his modern form, the fun-loving Tanuki is commonly depicted with a big tummy, a straw hat, a bewildered facial expression (he is easily duped), a giant scrotum, a staff attached to a sake flask, and a promissory note (that he never pays). Many of these attributes suggest his money was wasted on wine, women, and food.’
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Martin Creed A sheet of paper crumpled into a testicle, 2003
Crumpled paper in plexiglass on wood pedestal
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Graeme Why do guys have really big balls?, 2014
‘Talking about regular XY guys really big balls, with a brief mention of irregular XXY guys really small balls.’
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Paweł Althamer Piotr, 2011
‘Portrait subject had his face cast in plaster, selected the metal understructures on which he was mounted, and watched as the sculpture was “fleshed out” with plastic generated by extruding machines that had been transferred from Poland to Germany.’
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Ian Mozdzen Obscene, 2007
‘Audiences enter cre8ery studios, a multi-purpose gallery and studio space located in Winnipeg’s historic Exchange District, to witness and respond to the first performance draft of Obscene, a new experimental theatrical work by yours truly. Obscene tells the sordid tale of Michael, a self-castrated eunuch. Armed with dozens of eggs, liters of ketchup, and my shameless perineum, I’ve recreated his psychological landscape, mapping out his epic journey from boyhood to manhood to genital nullification. A shaft of heavenly light penetrates blackness to illuminate a man singing – high, shrill, angelic. “Slash me a cunt, I am in love.” He thrusts a knife between his legs. Blood gushes from the wound and seeps through his white smock. We see a home video of a horse castration. A farmer slices open the animal’s scrotum, pulls out a gleaming testicle, and then swiftly slashes the spermatic cord. The severed testicle is then tossed to the ground and devoured by a hungry dog. The farmer laughs heartily. Michael strips. We catch a glimpse of his mutilated genitals … looking like attempted murder. He slips on a pretty, silky dress and a hideously tangled wig. After taking a swig of whiskey he obscenely applies juicy red lipstick to his lips. He looks like some sort of demented tranny clown. Blood drips down his thighs. He belches bitterly. The bloody genitals are revealed. Michael-Joy, face twisting with pain, forcefully tucks the organs between his legs. Fingers caress the hairy mound remaining. The caress turns into a vulgar jerk-off. Heavenly music soars. An angel glides before our eyes. “Blessed be the blade,” it chimes.’
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Petra Mrzyk and Jean-François Moriceau Tattoo, 2017
‘Today’s installment of tattoos the internet is mocking is this one, posted on Twitter by user Gutphobia, with the caption: “idk about y’all but this looks like a nutsack to me.’ We were sure it was a strangely designed heart, so we contacted the tattoos designers Petra Mrzyk and Jean-François Moriceau asking if it was intentionally a ball sack. ‘Yes exactly, it’s a hand caressing a nut sack 🙂 Nothing more,’ Jean-François replied via email. ‘A guy ask me if he can make a tattoo of this drawing and we said OK. But we didn’t see the media storm about this tattoo, I just saw it on a few Instagram account!’’
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Bruce Nauman Crime and Punishment (Punch and Judy), 1985
‘For Bruce Nauman drawing is equivalent to thinking.’
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Daniel Edwards Tom Cruise Shroud, 2015
‘Artist Daniel Edwards assisted Cory Allen Contemporary Art in St. Petersburg, Fla. to create the unusual likeness of the movie star for a “pop-up Church of Scientology” near the religion’s headquarters in Clearwater. The shroud features Cruise with gigantic testicles and an equally impressive penis with very intricate pubic hair detailing. The artists definitely wanted to paint Cruise’s manhood in a favorable light. In addition to the impressive penis and testicles, the shroud also shows a backside of Cruise that highlights off his butt.’
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Philip Guston Untitled (Nixon Drawings), 1971 – 1975
ink on paper
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Francesco Vezzoli The Return of Bruce Nauman’s Bouncing Balls, 2006
‘Conceived as an ironic tribute, in The Return of Bruce Nauman’s Bouncing Balls, Vezzoli abandons the conceptual coldness of the original work to present a slick video based on the canons of pornographic filmography starring Brad Rock and his the infamous American gay-porn testicles.’
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Senga Nengudi R.S.V.P. Reverie – “B” Suite, 1977
Nylon mesh, sand, and pole
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Joel-Peter Witkin Testicle Stretch with the Possibility of a Crushed Face, 1982
Gelatin silver print
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Dove Soap Real Beauty Sketches, 2013
‘In a faux documentary short (that turns out to be an ad for one of the world’s biggest soap manufacturers), forensic artist Nancy Smith of the Encino Police Department drew men’s testicles based on the men’s own descriptions and those of others, and the side-by-side comparisons provoke heartfelt and empowering tears from the men who had alternately described their testicles as being “like a bag of old rags,” and “like a frog that died and has been baking in the sun for two or three days.” As one of the men concludes, weeping: “Those balls are angry, and have no friends; and these are alive and have hope.”’
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Paul McCarthy Captain Dick Hat, 2003
silicone rubber
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Dale Frank Undescended Testicle, 2019
tinted varnish, epoxyglass on Perspex
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Pyotr Pavlensky Untitled, 2013
‘Pavlensky walked on to Red Square on Sunday lunchtime, stripped off and nailed his scrotum to the cobblestones of Russia’s most famous public space. Pyotr Pavlensky said the protest was his response to Russia’s descent into a “police state” and was timed to coincide with Police Day. He was taken to hospital an hour later and given basic treatment for his injuries but declined to be admitted. He was later taken to a police station.’
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Peter Saul Testicles of a Billionaire, 2009
ink, acrylic and colored pencil on paper
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Pipilotti Rist Another Body from the Lobe of the Lung Family, 2009
‘At the far end of the space, the perpendicular walls form a screening space for Another Body from the Lobe of the Lung Family (2009). The segment I view involves a very cute piglet gambolling in a meadow in extreme close-up on one screen and a naked, nubile young woman doing the same on the other, I witness a toddler, around 18 months old, run screaming with joy towards the enormous piglet. At that moment the screens swap. He stops for a minute, looking at the enormous woman, and then resumes his joyous squealing — it’s all the same to him. A little later I notice what I think is a curious sea slug, and then realise it is in fact a bobbing penis and testicles.’
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Zhao Zhenhua Testicle-Weightlifting, 2014
‘Chinese master Zhao Zhenhua is seen lifting 80kg of bricks with his testicles during a demonstration in Zhengzhou city, central China’s Henan province. He also swung the weight forth and back about 320 times in 10 minutes. Zhao believes that testicle-weightlifting can improve quality of life.’
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Mike Kelley Big ol’farm balls, almos’ bigger than the butt cheeks, 1991
Acrylic on Paper
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Unknown Balls Kicks, 2004 – 2018
animated gifs
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Flaka Haliti My Balls, 2007-2008
‘“We don’t have successful internationally-known women artists from Kosovo. This shows that they don’t have the balls to become artists and to use the art spaces.” Back in 2007, this was the message told to Flaka Haliti by a person in a position of power in Kosovo’s cultural community. The provoking statement became an invitation to act for the Pristina-born artist. Soon after, she arrived at the opening of a prize exhibition at the National Gallery of Kosovo with a bag of cow testicles, a collection of balls which she proceeded to arrange in a corner of the gallery and present as a gift to exhibition-goers and museum authorities. Haliti’s testicular response, aptly titled “My Balls” (2007-2008), is documented in a short two-channel video.
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Yishay Garbasz Becoming, 2010
‘With Becoming, artist Yishay Garbasz courageously explores one of society’s most taboo subjects – the unmaking of a gendered body and the creation of another. Garbasz courageously documents two years of the physical changes she underwent to change from male to female. With unprecedented honesty and directness, the artist photographed her body every week, chronicling its gradual transformation. Becoming’s flip book format makes visible and immediate time and its integral role throughout this process.’
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Josiah M. Hesse I Had a Giant Testicle for Two Years and Didn’t Tell Anyone, 2015
‘From the ages of 17 to 19, I believed that God had cursed me with a swollen left testicle that was the size and shape of a large pear. I was suffering from a condition known as hydrocele, which basically meant there was an exceptionally large collection of fluid around my testicle that made it look like I’d put a 100-watt lightbulb down my pants. It was the result of blunt-force trauma—my loving sister thought it was hilarious to kick me in the crotch whenever I was napping. As traumatic as it might seem to be cursed with a grapefruit-sized sperm-machine, hydrocele isn’t life-threatening and can be corrected with a pretty simple surgical procedure. Unfortunately, I told no one about my condition and lived with it for about two years.’
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Ingrid Berthon-Moine Marbles, 2013
‘Berthon-Moine takes twelve close-up photographs of testicles belonging to Ancient Greek sculptures. Typically, women’s bodies are exploited and looked at in art while men are not. Here, Berthon-Moine wanted “to look at men…the way they look at women.” A very conscious role reversal takes place. Berthon-Moine makes comparisons of testicles to breasts. She comments that they function the same way under gravity in that they hung to the left side. This challenges male as the ideal. The focus on Ancient Greek relates to its highly masculinist culture. It is an appropriate reference point for Berthon-Moine to draw connections to more recent representations. For male viewers, there is a strong “sense of vulnerability” when perceiving Marbles. It is a feeling typically reserved for the female body. This change in experience is something Berthon-Moine deliberately sets out to achieve. Berthon-Moine questions the system of representation through subversion. She asks what gives men the authority to determine subject matter and representation when they are fundamentally the same.’
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Anatomical Travelogue Testis Shower Curtain, 2018
100% polyester fabric
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Delain The Gathering, 2014
‘It’s tradition for Delain to launch confetti cannons during their song “The Gathering”. Typically they’ve done this without any incident, but during a show in Birmingham, England last week, bassist Otto Schimmelpenninck found himself taking a shot straight to the groin. Despite the pain and bleeding, Schimmelpenninck finished out the show. In a subsequent Facebook status, Schimmelpenninck revealed that after the show his scrotum had ballooned up to the size of a grapefruit. He was quickly rushed to a hospital where they removed 500 ML of blood from his scrotum and had his ruptured testicle stitched up. He described the event as “one of the most unpleasant adventures I’ve ever had to endure.”’
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Imaginarte Niceballs, 2018
‘Imaginarte presents Niceballs: a dangling prosthetic accessory that sticks easily, discreetly and efficiently to your desk. Its suspension rate creates a Euclidean curve that encourages relaxation and provides the few moments of escapism that we all need once in a while. So, after playing for a while with your balls you can change back your mode to “bust your balls”.’
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Norman Leto Testicles of a Man Digging with a Spade, 2006
‘Testicles of a Man Digging with a Spade is a short 3D animation. Confronting the image of male sex organs and the action of digging (most likely, a grave), the film becomes a metaphor of life and death, embedding existential content in a simple form.’
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Mao Sugiyama Untitled, 2012
‘Meet Mao Sugiyama, a 24-year old illustrator from Tokyo, Japan, who surgically removed his genitals and auctioned them off for people to munch on. Sugiyama exploded on the twittersphere in 2012 when he tweeted “[Please retweet] I am offering my male genitals (full penis, testes, scrotum) as a meal for 100,000 yen …Will prepare and cook as the buyer requests, at his chosen location.”
‘For this procedure, Sugiyama, who’s known under the guise of HC, or Ham Cybele, underwent genital-removal surgery to receive a bag full of his 6 inch shlong, testicles, and scrotum skin, rendering him asexual. Sugiyama screened himself before undergoing the procedure to ensure he was disease-free. With no intention of implanting female sexual organs or undergoing female hormone therapy, Sugiyama plans to remain asexual so as to rebel against the gender inequality he finds in today’s society.
‘Unsurprisingly, Sugiyama’s tweet got enough international attention for him to host a public banquet for 70 people. The severed genitals were cooked by Sugiyama for five guests who paid $250 for the outrageous meal. Sugiyama, who donned a chef’s hat, prepared the meal in front of curious onlookers and feasters. The meal comprised of his sautéed genitals with button mushrooms and Italian parsley. The meal was served following the Japanese food safety and medical waste regulations. The rest of the 70 attendees were served a comparatively less-captivating meal of crocodile or beef meat.’
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p.s. Hey. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi. So happy you like her work. She’s amazing. Play Therapy to the rescue in the nick of time! Mega-yum. Everyone, here’s a brand spanking new episode of Ben ‘_Black_Acrylic’ Robinson’s upper- and lower body liberating force of a podcast Play Therapy ready to dave your weekend from its doldrums ands ills. This week: ‘Ukrainian experimentalism, Russian Dungeon Synth and for his beloved late father Pete, some Avant-Garde Jazz freakout too.’ Go here post-haste! Thanks, Ben! ** David, Interesting. I always thought LOL was ‘lick out labia’. Boy, was I surprised. I know the name Ruby Wax, but I’m blanking. Easy enough to fix that. Have a legendary weekend. ** RY / ANGUSRAZE, Now I want to legally change my first name to D3nni5, but I think I’m too lazy to do the necessary paperwork. Right, I remember that air pressure eye test thing. That was weird and kind of exhilarating. Round glasses. I love them in theory and in practice too. They don’t work on my face sadly,. My reading glasses are just the usual boring sort of oval shape with kind of flattened out tops. I kind of wish granny glasses would make a comeback, the kind that, like, Arthur Lee and that guy in The Byrds wore in the mid/late-60s with one blue lens and one red lens or whatever. Lucky you on the clothes reinvention. I’m allergic to fabric and dye and have to wearing boring organic clothes. I’m not a Kanye West fan, I have to say, sorry. Not even really the early good stuff. To me he’s a savvy producer and arranger but his content, i.e. his ego catharting and his meh use of language, just kills it for me. But I know I’m fairly alone in not digging his early stuff, so fuck me. Anyway, if you’re excited by it and getting things for your own work, that’s the best and all that matters. I’m hoping to drink in your EP this weekend. Psyched. xo, me. ** Tosh Berman, Mm, I’m not sure if I’ve seen the Menil stuff. You know, I’m sure, that he has big two-part retrospective here in Paris right now at the Pompidou and Pinault Collection that is heaven on earth. He’s my favorite artist. He and I are really good friends, and we used to hang out all the time, and he and his ideas about sculpture were a gigantic influence on me and my writing. We started hanging out when I was working on my novel ‘Guide’, and I think that’s the point where my fiction took a huge leap forward due in large part to my starting to think fiction as a kind of 360 degree sculptural material thanks to his ideas. I think I’ll try to watch the ‘Mishima’ film this weekend. I think it’s on my go-to free/illegal site. I think it must have been my {NSFW] designation that set off the Facebook filter. I would normally put that designation on today’s post, but I’m going to skip it to be safe. ** Dominik, Hi!!! I’ve seen her work in the States, but I don’t think she’s ever shown here in France, which is criminal or something. Even meek would be a windfall here, but I think springs already sprung here, so … *sad face*. I am going to try together the bottom of the milk thing. My assumption is that they must inject milk with horrible chemicals here to keep it from decaying, but I’ll find out and let you know. I haven’t heard the new Iceage song yet, so thank you love for his prescience.Sticking to the theme, love making Vår reform and hiring Zac and me to shoot all of their music videos, G. ** Bill, Hi, B. I have read some of AL Snijders’ stories and liked them a lot, and that new book translated by Lydia Davis is on my must-buy list, now bumped to the top thanks to you. So, yeah, thanks! Have a weekend that necessitates no finickiness on your part. ** Misanthrope, Hm, not sure why that FB thing happened. 12 to 14 per day sounds all right. I’m a just-under-a-pack-a-day smoker. Sometimes a whole pack, but never more. Seems reasonable to me. Bon Saturday and Sunday! ** Conrad, Hey, Conrad! Excellent to see you, man! I’m very happy you liked the Liz Larner work. I wish her work was shown here. I want to see Yves Tumor. Has that grift already happened? If not, I need to get my tickets. Yikes. Thank you about the haunted house event. We’re just about the start finishing the ‘game’ itself, making it into an actual playable video game and making it more complicated inside. I very highly recommend the big Charles Ray shows at Pinault and the Pompidou if you haven’t seen them. I do want to see some of the Sonic Protest shows. Puce Mary’s for absolute sure but there are others too. I need to sort that out. I think you’ve seen ‘Permanent Green Light;’, but, if not, it’s showing in Paris at a little film festival next Saturday afternoon. Info. Yes, let’s coordinate re: SP. Great about the Théo Casciani interview. I don’t think I know his work. I’ll do google translate on the interview if nothing else. You have a truly excellent weekend too, my friend! ** Maria, Isabella, Camila, Malaria, Gabriela, Oh, it’s just this silly device that supposedly can pump your cock bigger, but it’s obviously just a scam. Did you have a marvelous weekend? ** Shane, Thanks, Shane. ** Verity Pawloski, Thanks, Verity. ** Steve Erickson, Hi. Yoga helped me, but I don’t know how universal its goods are. Obviously, finding a way to zone out and relax your body can only help if not even do wonders. Oh, interesting question. I would suggest Grandrieux’s ‘While Epilepsy’ as far as his ‘dance’ short films go. ** Brian, Hey, Brian. Suspense, eh? Mm, so I guess they want to test your skill in taut editing and tension-building music choices our something? I’m allergic to suspense, but, yeah, people sure do want films to work that angle. Anyway, interesting challenge, I guess. Seeing friends is ultimately the best, no? In the grand scheme of things. So, enjoy. I’m going to try to do that too. Yeah, as I said to Tosh, I think I’ll try to finally watch ‘Mishima’ this weekend assuming I can find it. My weekend looks pretty lowkey. Have to work on the script faux-revising. I have my Zoom book club tonight. We read Borges and watched a Fritz Lang movie. Not sure what else. Should be okay. I hope you are utterly and repletely non-exhausted for the art 48 hours. ** Right. I feel pretty certain that this weekend’s post is self-explanatory, so I’ll just leave you to it and see you on Monday.
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