In names of birth and beauty
mixed media, 2025
This 2.5 dimensional art series explores the parallel exploitation of animals and women under systems where patriarchy and consumerism intertwine.
The project centers on the ethical entanglements of pearl cultivation and surrogacy—two industries in which bodies are commodified, silenced, and hidden from view. What drew me to this parallel was the realization that both pearl oysters and surrogate mothers are often rendered voiceless, their labor concealed behind objects of desire: a pearl or a child.
Though pearl oysters lack a central nervous system and likely do not experience pain as higher animals do, this biological fact does not absolve the ethical concerns of pearl farming. Oysters respond to environmental stimuli, but they live without memory or expectation. Their suffering is not remembered—yet that does not mean it never occurred. In this light, animal welfare becomes a moral and philosophical issue—a reflection of human values, not animal agency.
Similarly, surrogate mothers—often from economically disadvantaged backgrounds—are rarely heard. Their silence may stem from cultural pressure, financial dependence, or structural inequality. Whether they willingly participate or feel coerced by circumstance, the practice remains rooted in the commodification of the female body. Their emotional and physical labor is frequently overlooked in favor of a singular focus on the outcome.
Both pearl cultivation and surrogacy involve invasive procedures: inserting a nucleus into an oyster to stimulate nacre production, implanting embryos into a uterus through hormonal and surgical intervention. In both cases, the body's interior becomes a site of production—quiet, hidden, and ultimately consumed. By drawing these parallels, I hope to challenge the viewer to reconsider what we are willing to overlook in the pursuit of beauty, legacy, or love.
If you would like to learn more, please refer to my research paper, Silent Bodies: Pearl-Producing Bivalves, Surrogate Mothers, and the Naturalization of Exploitation.