A Yale University art student is causing a national controversy with her senior art project that revolves around self-induced abortions. Aliza Shvarts says she artificially inseminated herself “as often as possible” in order to become pregnant and reportedly used herbs to cause abortions.Shvarts, a senior art major, intentionally caused the death of the babies with the herbs.
Afterwards, she allegedly saved her blood and the blood from each of the babies she killed to create an art display.
The display consists of a cube with video footage she took of the miscarriages on either side and a canvas in the middle with paintings created from the blood.
It was a hoax, a Yale spokesperson claims:
Ms. Shvarts is engaged in performance art. Her art project includes visual representations, a press release and other narrative materials. She stated to three senior Yale University officials today, including two deans, that she did not impregnate herself and that she did not induce any miscarriages. The entire project is an art piece, a creative fiction designed to draw attention to the ambiguity surrounding form and function of a woman’s body.
She is an artist and has the right to express herself through performance art.
Had these acts been real, they would have violated basic ethical standards and raised serious mental and physical health concerns.
(via Hit and Run)
Update: Maybe not a hoax after all…
