Red Coin Cunts

A fresh bouquet of Coin Cunts for the upcoming Valentine season--made with love especially for all you nasty women! This new print features the reds and purples found in my larger collection of inverted coin purses. Women around the world are fighting back and speaking out in multitudes to challenge the rise of misogynist, racist, and ignorant rhetoric that is dominating the cycle of our lives. Your purchase of this print will support my work and a portion of the proceeds will go to the local chapter of the National Organization for Women who sponsored the Women's March I participated in this past weekend.

New Print

In light of recent political events here in the United States my series of 'Coin Cunts' has continued to gain interest and raise awareness of women's issues on many different fronts. I am continuing to seek out used kisslock coin purses with colorful and/or interesting interiors to grow the collection. As of its last installation this past summer it numbered over 100 pieces! 

This image is now available as a limited edition, poster-sized pigment print in my webshop. Its proceeds will be used to fund the growth of this project and its exhibition. You can purchase the new print here.

Reform: Subversive Fashion

Last month, before our move, I finished stitching over 100 'Coin Cunts' and shipped them off to Albuquerque, NM. They will be included, along with work by four other artists, in an exciting counter-culture fashion exhibition opening Friday at Central Features Contemporary Art. This will be the largest installation of the 'Coin Cunts' thus far. 

Missouri-based artist Suzanna Scott challenges visual and societal perceptions with Coin Cunts, a collection of coin purses. By turning each purse inside out to reveal and reform the different interior linings, Scott teases the imagination and sparks conversation about the ties amongst sexuality, gender, money, and fashion. 

 Nancy Zastudil, Central Features Contemporary Art

A video posted by Suzanna Scott (@suzanna_scott) on Aug 23, 2016 at 8:24am PDT

Contemporary fashion is in question and on display this Fall season at Central Features Contemporary Art. Cross programming and promotion is presented in conjunction with the exhibition ReFashion at form & concept in Santa Fe, NM. ReForm: Subversive Fashion is an exhibition of select garments, accessories, and other adornments that thwart conventional expectations. The exhibition features JUMPSUIT by The Rational Dress Society, an installation by Suzanna Scott, an interactive dress by Nina Silfverberg, collages by Kirsten Stolle, and new textile work by Sarah Wagner. 

Reform: Subversive Fashion

August 26 - September 30

Central Features Contemporary Art

514 Central Ave SW #2, Albuquerque, NM

Opening Reception on Aug 26th, 6-8pm

Coin Cunt Print

The 'Coin Cunt' project began innocently last summer when I was playing around with an old coin purse. I flipped it inside out, and saw a vaginal form emerge from my playful pinching and tucking. Using a needle and thread I stitched it into place. As I thought about it, I found so much association between the little pocket-like forms and the inferred suggestions that these new objects brought to mind.

I began sharing the 'Coin Cunts' on social media and am amazed at the feedback it has provided. With a simple alteration these ubiquitous objects became evocative and their appeal provocative when I dubbed them 'Coin Cunts'. Aside from the chuckles, I've found that others can see in this project our assumed cultural associations of money and women, prostitution, female genital mutilation, suppression of women, gender equality, body image ideals, equal pay and the list continues to grow.

Ever since the 'Coin Cunt' images began making their rounds on social media I've had to turn down numerous purchase requests. My goal with this project is to grow the collection until I have a large installation of 100 or more. In order finance the rest of this project and give you an opportunity to enjoy this image on a daily basis I'm offering a limited edition of 25 pigment prints on my website.

A video posted by Suzanna Scott (@suzanna_scott) on May 24, 2016 at 7:55am PDT

The Female Complex

My Coin Cunt collection has taken on a life of its own thanks to the wonders of social media. I've been invited by artist, Kristin Mahan to participate in The Female Complex at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where these twenty-eight fiber pieces will be making their debut. The vaginal shaped works are sculpted from inside-out coin purses.

Feminism is nothing new-it has been around for more than a century-so why is it still so important to this day? As society progresses and the older waves of feminism accomplish much of what they set out to do, problems that were always there but never dealt with have begun to rise to the surface. "The Female Complex" will present the multiplicity of the emerging wave of feminism through contemporary art. Each of the 12 artists presented uses personal experiences to inform their work, which allows the work to be honest. The wide variety of mediums and subject matter in this exhibition will form a dialogue that reflects the diversity of issues placed under the umbrella of this developing feminist movement. 

Kristin Mahan, curator

Participating artists include Samantha Aasen, Brooke Denton, Jeanne Donegan, Tessa Edgren, Lisa Guevara, Sheree Haynie, Katie Hovencamp, Kayla Linden, Roberta Malkin, Sidney Mullis, Claudia Rose, and Suzanna Scott. 

The Female Complex

Curated by Kristin Mahan

MEDICI Gallery / Richards Hall

Monday, April 18

Closing Reception April 22 / 5-7 pm

Coin Cunts

Before the days of debit cards the coin purse was a necessary item. Today there are a plethora of these kisslock pockets floating around in flea markets on and off-line. After soliciting friends on social media to assist me in gathering coin purses for this project I got down to business. The purses were cleaned (as needed!) and each one turned inside out. They are made of a variety of fabrics and leather. Some with one layer, others with multiple layers of fabric. I assess each one carefully and after a few pinches, tucks, folds and stitches I say voilà.....a vulva!

Putting images of these transformed coin purses into the world triggers an informative boomerang of ideas, inferred meaning and of course....chuckles. As a collection of objects these coin purses are interesting; as vaginas, they are evocative. I think it was Eva Hesse who said that she used repetition in her art because it recalled the absurdity of life. By eliciting a few changes from a simple object and exaggerating the effect with a grouping of the same, singular but unique objects, I've created a preposterous family of genitalia that speak their own mind.

Are they a simple statement on the variety of vulvae or a call to action against the horrific act of female genital mutilation? Do they comment on the parallel relationship of money and sex, prostitution or the porn industry? How about the age-old ideal of a women's place being solely in the home, subservient to men, caring for home and family?
 

I debated back and forth on whether to dub these transformed purses as 'coin cunts'. I love words, idioms and word pairings and refer to my dictionary often. The word cunt is marked with a 'usage alert' as a vulgar slang and its use is highly taboo in our society. It is a succinct word, it bites and it has baggage. But it is one of those words that truly embodies its meaning....the entirety of the female genitalia....the cunt. All this to say that no other phrase or word seemed to fit this collective grouping better than 'coin cunts.'

A video posted by Suzanna Scott (@suzanna_scott) on Jul 16, 2015 at 8:21am PDT

Thank you to all of you who've supported this project so far by sending purses. If you happen to have any spare kisslock coin purses sitting around in your junk drawer I would love to add them to this collection. I'm particularly looking for ones with colorful purse linings. In fact, I received one with a brilliant red interior as I was photographing the collection for this post. You can contact me here for shipping details. I plan to continue adding purses over the next few months until the proper time and place for their exhibition transpires.