Claudia Chanhoi's humorous artwork cleverly challenges censorship and hyper-sexualisation

What do you spot erstwhile you look astatine Claudia Chanhoi's work? If you're a quality pinch a critically engaged brain, you'll apt spot surreal depictions of nan quality assemblage that present a humorous commentary connected hyper-sexualised societal norms. If you're an Instagram algorithm, though, you whitethorn not.

That's because Claudia has had to get clever pinch really she captions her artwork successful bid to debar nan societal media level from taking her activity down. Even if nan portion successful mobility is conscionable 3 lines and a azygous dot, nan organization guidelines plaything into action. To get astir this, she simply reposted nan aforesaid image, added 2 small birds, and changed nan caption to Birds Flying to nan Moon. Problem solved.

"Since then, I've been challenging media censorship and questioning societal norms successful our hyper-sexualised world by playing pinch captions and imagery," Claudia tells Creative Boom. "This represents an improvement of her style, which utilized to talk a batch astir modern making love relationships and female sexuality.

"Now, my topics person evolved arsenic I mature done womanhood," she adds. "Topics for illustration really our nine can't dissociate our bodies from sexualisation, women emotion nan request to beryllium much masculine to beryllium taken earnestly and why women are expected to beryllium sexually charismatic while not allowed to beryllium intersexual beings.

"I deliberation soon my topics will beryllium focused connected nan biologic timepiece of women, ageism, motherhood, matrimony and astir apt menopause. I deliberation my topics will support evolving alongside my individual experiences."

As good arsenic drafting inspiration from her ain life and experiences, Claudia is influenced by food. In fact, nan worlds of sustenance and sex, successful her opinion, are not wholly unrelated. "I emotion looking astatine nutrient photography, and I deliberation possibly this is wherever astir of my inspiration comes from," she says. "I find nan quality desire for delicious nutrient to beryllium very akin to bully sex; it's fundamentally intimacy. I announcement similarities betwixt nan emotions successful nutrient photography and nan art, exploring intimacy and quality connection."

Her preoccupation pinch female empowerment and nan intersexual objectification of women though is rooted successful some her first acquisition of a romanticist narration and instances of harassment that she faced astatine university.

"Growing up arsenic a Catholic, I recovered myself blameworthy and ashamed to beryllium funny astir activity and sexuality," she says. "These encounters not only confused maine because they were erstwhile labelled arsenic soiled and shameful, but besides made maine alert of nan challenges faced by big women successful our modern society."

It was during her last assemblage task that Claudia decided to face these topics. This would beryllium to beryllium a turning constituent for her arsenic a imaginative person, helping her fto spell of shame and allowing her to research nan themes that mattered to her astir arsenic a young woman.

"I person ever been honorable pinch really I consciousness and deliberation done my work," Claudia reveals. "These themes proceed to beryllium important to maine because they speak to women's lived experiences and our ongoing struggles successful society. I judge that creation has nan powerfulness to situation norms and provoke thought, and it has been my look of womanhood."

These issues, particularly, were nan taxable of Claudia's 2022 TEDx talk. Here, she discussed really group are surviving successful a hyper-sexualised nine wherever women particularly are conditioned to spot their bodies arsenic activity objects alternatively than functional, quality forms. "We thin to operation 'sexuality' up pinch 'sexualisation', and this is really we person turned 'sexuality' into "an unrealistic pornographic scene," she says.

"Even nan astir iconic Vietnam War photograph captured by Nick Ut was taken down by Facebook because it featured a naked woman moving distant from a napalm attack. Facebook past explained nan photograph violated their organization standards and, successful immoderate countries, mightiness moreover suffice arsenic kid pornography. It seems for illustration we can't spot our bodies without immoderate titillations, and we conscionable support connected internalising nan shame that our bodies are obscene and indecent and request to beryllium censored successful each situations."

Heavy topics, indeed. But this does not mean Claudia approaches them pinch a wholly consecutive face. Humour is 1 of nan main devices successful her imaginative arsenal, and she uses it to awesome effect. "I deliberation this has ever been my attack to arguable topics successful general," she says. "I'm cautious astir jumping to conclusions excessively quickly because I worth unfastened conversations and free reasoning pinch an unfastened heart.

"In today's world, we thin to beryllium very achromatic and white, pinch group holding tightly to their views and often not leaving room for captious reasoning aliases replacement opinions. Injecting a spot of humour into nan chat tin possibly promote everyone to look astatine nan taxable successful a lighthearted way."

Crucially, though, this is humour pinch a point. "Some group mightiness deliberation I tie vaginas and penises conscionable for nosy without immoderate meaning," she says. "Throughout my career, I person been told by immoderate of my imaginable clients, media editors, and moreover my adjacent friends that my activity could offend group because I tie assemblage parts."