NANA POWER

“For me, my sculptures represent the world of women amplified, women’s aspiration of greatness, women in the world today, women in power.”

Dancing and athletic, large – even giant – sometimes imposing, sometimes sexy, the Nanas carry hope for a new world where women would have their rightful place: their presence in the public space is symbolic. Free from the stereotypes imposed by fashion, their bodies express femininity without restraint, feminism with a smile, like the artist whose voice they express: “I want to be superior: have the privileges of men and keep more of those feminine qualities, all while continuing to wear pretty hats." The Nanas were reproduced in the form of inflatable balloons, silkscreen prints, jewelry and various editions. They are the warriors in the feminist battle that Saint Phalle was one of the first to lead in the world of art. Many of the Nanas are also a poster children for civil rights, a cause that Saint Phalle also took up quite early: “Me? Wild? She finally found a response; that a woman in a civilization of men is like a Negro in a white civilization. She has the right to refuse, to revolt. The bloody flag is raised”.