Kikyz1313 is a Mexican artist who confronts the viewer with discomforting representations of “the abject.” As developed by Julia Kristeva, the abject is a term that refers to the more unpleasant details of our earthly existences, such as excrement, disease, death, and decay—all of the natural processes that erode our sense of human superiority and the distinction between self and Other. Kikyz1313 shows us this deterioration of the self in astounding detail, painting pale-faced children and human-animal-plant hybrids as they bloom and rot in oscillating states of life and death. Unashamed of the dirty, morbid reality that awaits us all, Kikyz1313’s paintings challenge the moral norm, creating a dialogue that asks the viewer to think about how they construct morality to stave off fears surrounding the physical realities of the body.

Images © Kikyz1313

Via beinArt