walking through cactus and stones

At first glance, Insa's work may just appear to be misogynistic. Much of it is packed with graphic depictions of female body parts (I bet you can guess which ones) conveniently placed in suggestive positions.










See what I mean? But there's more to Insa's art than female objectification. Don't get me wrong -- that's certainly a large component to his work, but it's not as offensive as it seems. This guy is a self-proclaimed woman-lover with an affinity for shoes. And not just any shoes. INSA designs custom high heels.

When he's not making shoes, INSA makes large scale works (often covering a wall or stretching across a whole room) mostly out of spray paint. The pieces focus on the idea of commodification of the female body as a sexualized utensil used to sell products. And I think we can all agree that this tactic is all over the place. It's simple: sex sells. Insa knows it just like we all know it.

That said, his work has been met with much criticism. While it's common and, dare I say, acceptable for the female figure to be casually thrown around in the material world, it is disrespectful in other contexts. Especially in art. Classically speaking, sexy, naked women are not sexy and naked, they are refined and nude. Insa's work points out this double standard while acting as a commentary on how in the individual has been removed from female sexuality in the context of popular consumer culture.

During an interview with Sneaker Freaker Magazine, Insa said, "When the image isn’t selling you something, it’s more shocking. We actually notice the sexuality and not the product being sold to us. Like we have been programmed to accept this form of consumer sexuality as a different thing to the sexuality in our real lives."

Insa's work also points out the sheer fetishism in consumerism. He admittedly buys into the trends (C'mon, the guy designs ladies' shoes), but he presents them in a way that empowers women. Not only are Insa's pieces sexually liberating, but they point out the foolishness of modern stereotypes used by men to discuss women. Like that debate between girls that wear sneakers (who are not restricted by their gender) versus girls that wear heals (who understand the power of their sexuality): which do men prefer? Who cares. Insa uses them both but reduces them to mere gestures. At the center of any shoe in any style is a single, fleshy foot. The foot is where its at.



See? THERE.

photo credit:
top left: Insa, Exterior Gloss in Purple, Glasgow, 2007, courtesy of the artist's website
top right: Insa, Title unknown, taken from an installation in Lisbon, 2009, courtesy of Juxtapoz Magazine
bottom right: advertisement for Lynx Shower Gel, Wash Me, 2007
bottom left: Insa, Inner/Outer, Spray paint and marker on canvas, 5' x 2,' 2008, courtesy of the artist's website
bottom: foot anatomy, taken from active.com