Sculptor Gives Grandma's Tchotchkes a Macabre Twist

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Jessica Harrison is a sculptor from the UK who creates antique-looking porcelain figurines. These are not, however, the kind of figurines you'd find lining Grandma's shelf.

Gay ladies in flowing gowns are depicted just as you remember them, but if you look closer, you notice something is off (hint: that's not a bouquet she's holding...it's her large intestine!).

Disemboweled damsels and mutilated madams smile coyly at viewers, seemingly oblivious to their own fatal wounds.

Idols of feminine beauty are, quite literally, stripped away to reveal the very human structure beneath.

Thus, viewers are reminded that, beyond our skin, our carefully tousled tresses and meticulously applied makeup, we are all essentially the same--a mass of blood and bones and guts.

Not only do Harrison's sculptures highlight our shared vulnerabilities, but, more specifically, they suggest the powerlessness of women.

Despite the fact that the female figurines experience tremendous physical injury, their expressions remain placid and carefree; this illustrates the pressure women face to ignore their own emotions and needs in order to be more pleasing to the men around them.

You can see more of Harrison's work here.