SuppliedWith the help of her Diva cup and a paintbrush, Portland artist Sarah Levy was able to paint a portrait of Donald Trump using her menstrual blood. The creation of her bloody Trump portrait, titled Whatever, followed comments Trump had made back in August regarding Fox news anchor, Megyn Kelly, saying “(That) you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes … blood coming out of her wherever.” Suggesting Kelly was being hormonal and on her period while mediating the debate.
Offended by his comment, Levy collected her menstrual blood to use as watercolour pigment — painting Trump’s scrunched face and wavy comb-over in a crimson red that celebrates both feminism and remonstration.
“It’s incredibly uncool to insult a woman’s intelligence based on the fact that she menstruates,” says Levy. “That shows such immaturity that shouldn’t be tolerated in the media or at all, let alone a presidential candidate.”
Bloody Trump was quick to catch the attention of the media, and though not everyone was appreciative of the medium Levy chose, her work calls for the end of menstrual-shaming and body-shaming.
Levy also wanted to get people thinking about what topics should and shouldn’t be considered insulting.
“People were saying stuff like, ‘You’re disgusting. Why are you painting using your own blood?’ And then you look at what Trump is doing and saying with all his racism, sexism and xenophobia, I think that’s what’s really disgusting.”
Levy is auctioning her work online through Trumpmania — an art exhibition which features a collection of art work that responds to Trump’s presidential campaign — and she plans on donating the proceeds to VOZ — an organization which aims to protect the civil rights and working conditions of immigrants.
“She’s lodging a protest by inserting her work into a public market and asking people to bid on it,” says Natalie Loveless, a University of Alberta art history professor who specializes in feminist and performance art. “The higher the bid goes the more people are stating their support for this anti-Trump protest action.”
Levy is also going to be selling buttons and prints on Etsy, featuring bloody Trump and the words: “So much blood, such tiny hands.” The proceeds from those products will also be donated to VOZ as a way to support both women and immigrants in a fight against Trump’s platform.
“I know you can’t compare different oppressions. Mexicans are getting beaten up in the streets, Muslims are getting beaten up at rallies and women aren’t being seen as human beings,” says Levy. “It’s different effects for everyone. So I think that anyone who cares about human beings and justice should be motivated to shut him down.”
In an essay Levy wrote defending her portrait, she remarked that the outrage expressed towards her art be reassessed and redirected towards the sexism and racism present in Trump’s campaign.
“There are plenty of things to be outraged about, but my little piece of art should be at the bottom of that list.”
