Exploring Female Agency in Contemporary Art
In the striking sculpture titled “Threaded” (2023) by London-based artist Paloma Proudfoot, a disembodied hand adorned with cherry-red fingernails elegantly loops a vein, reminiscent of a ribbon, around an exposed spinal cord. Crafted from glazed ceramic, the artwork juxtaposes delicacy with the macabre nature of its subject matter. Proudfoot, who is 32 years old, draws inspiration from anatomical models, and “Threaded” is part of a broader series of sculptures that delve into the paternalistic experiments that shaped hypnotherapy and the treatment of hysteria in 19th-century France. While the discipline was primarily advanced by a male figure, Jean-Martin Charcot, Proudfoot’s sculptures present a thought-provoking twist: the hands that manipulate the bodies and minds of the female subjects are distinctly female—severed at the wrist but adorned with neatly manicured nails.
In both art and broader societal contexts, disembodied female parts have rarely been linked to notions of liberation. A prominent example is Gustave Courbet’s 1886 painting “The Origin of the World,” which features a faceless body and an exposed vulva, often cited as an instance of male artists objectifying women, despite an underlying reverence. While the sexualized aspects of the female form are frequently emphasized, the depiction of women’s hands carries equally potent connotations—often portrayed with dainty fingers that suggest passivity or arched to signify genteel refinement. In the iconic “The Birth of Venus” (circa 1485) by Sandro Botticelli, the goddess modestly covers her nude body with delicate, rosy pink fingers. Amid a contemporary movement that challenges the depersonalization and denigration of female and queer bodies, it is perhaps unsurprising that hands—the body parts most emblematic of agency—are increasingly featured in sculpture and painting, asserting their capacity to be both provocative and even dangerous.
Another artist contributing to this narrative is Charlotte Edey, also 32, who showcased her work in a solo booth with Ginny on Frederick at Frieze London this month. Edey’s paintings depict hands that stretch through windows and bend playfully around walls, as if they are “unconstrained by bone, tendon, or gravity,” as she eloquently describes. In her supernatural painting “Fresh Water” (2018), a giant, godlike feminine hand hovers above a lifeless landscape, casting a blue shadow that resembles a lake below. In Edey’s artistic vision, a woman’s hand possesses the power to control and rejuvenate the world surrounding it, further emphasizing the theme of female agency in contemporary art.
