The Gay Shrink Weighs In On Aliza Shvarts: “Miscarriages Are Not Matisse”

The recent hullaballoo over Yale art student Aliza Shvarts got us thinking. And we hate that. So we consulted Guanabee’s very own Gay Shrink and sat down to discuss Aliza and her magical, mystical, possibly creatively fictional uterine lining. Is it art? Is it sane? Were those really leopard print culottes homegirl was wearing?

Guanabee: Hi, Doc. Glad you could fit us in. We’re up to our tits in this bloody mess Aliza Shvarts has made. You know, the Yale University art major who either did or didn’t inseminate herself repeatedly over nine months and then either did or didn’t terminate the possible pregnancies. She said she hoped her project would get people talking about the relationship between art and our bodies. So, leading question time: was that a bold-faced lie or the musings of a self-absorbed, oblivious young person?

Gay Shrink: Since this story broke, I have yet to hear anyone dialogue about art and the body. Years ago Farrah Fawcett got naked, dipped herself in paint and then rolled around on a canvas—that got people talking about art and the body—even gay men.

Guanabee: Is it really possible she was unaware people would focus, instead, on the relationship between an art student and her ethics? Or an art student and her sanity?

Gay Shrink: It is possible, but doubtful. I imagine an installation of cherry gelatin on Plexiglas lacked a certain shock value— so the miscarriage back-story was necessary to create a buzz. It is not that uncommon for young people to feel intoxicated by the mania of their self importance and to lose site of common sense and the fine line between being provocative and acting psychotic.

Guanabee: So, in other words, she’s a young tool. Do you think she was unaware of the greater social and political implications her work has?

Gay Shrink: It sounds like felt her “work” was of great social and political import. Has the actual medium of what she used for the project even been verified? That would seem to clear up the question of did she or didn’t she—it doesn’t seem like it would be difficult to tell the difference between the DNA of Liquitex and fetal matter.

Guanabee: Well, Yale insists she informed them her work is “creative fiction,” but she has stated publicly that she really did attempt to get pregnant and then miscarry.

Gay Shrink: So, as it stands, all we may have is a psychotic student who finger-painted with jell-o.

Guanabee: Let’s hope it was her finger. But, what would be the reason for Aliza’s flip-flopping, if the university is telling the truth?

Gay Shrink: The sensationalism of the installation would go out the window if we believed it is all made up. And more practically, the current scenario allows Aliza and the University to play good-cop, bad-cop. If the installation opens, the controversy preceding it has ensured a good turn out.

Guanabee: Do you think there’s a tendency for people with psychological issues to hide behind their creative outlets?

Gay Shrink: Not necessarily, creativity in and of itself can be very healing and if a person has a mental health disorder, it can be one of the tools that help bring forth a voice or provide necessary structure so psychological issues do not become too debilitating. Certainly some people are guided by delusions, hallucinations, fantasies, etc. and express them creatively and the impact they have on others determines how such “art” is perceived.

Guanabee: We think we’re perceiving it exactly how it was created: With lots and lots of crazy juice. Topped with some coo coo powder and a loco cherry on top. Speaking of coo coo for Coco Puffs, what, does Aliza’s now-famous outfit (leopard-print shorts, white fringe boots, black leotard) say about her?

Gay Shrink: That she is trying too hard and that perhaps this whole experience highlights a person who feels marginalized, insignificant, weak, vulnerable, etc. and she attempts to make herself “seen” in her art, her clothing, and her commentary. Or her taste in clothing is as poor as her taste in art.

Guanabee: Aliza, presumably in her early 20s, is still quite young. Is there a chance this is just a phase?

Gay Shrink: Of course. If we all reflect back on our 20 year-old selves, I imagine we would all have an Aliza moment here and there.

Guanabee: Speak for yourself, GS. I never bled all over the quad in school. Well at least, I never turned it in as homework. But, What does Aliza’s attitude and behavior have to say about her (and, gulp, our) generation at large, if anything? Is she part of a growing trend?

Gay Shrink: I think it says a lot about the blogging and googling generation that most of us with computers are a part of. There is an expectation for instant gratification through recognition while, at the same time, we are inundated by information, images, and ideas, so only certain elements stand out and make an impact. It forces us to be bigger, compete more and work harder to get attention. I am sure every artist at Yale is expected to contribute–to make a statement–but Aliza scooped them all.

Guanabee: She needed to scoop up that dead baby is what she needed to do. Speaking of cleaning up her messes, what should Yale do to help Aliza without running the risk of censorship or enacting some sort of moral fascism? Were they right in refusing to show her final piece? Oh fuck it. Who are we kidding? Of course they were.

Gay Shrink: People can say, write, or create what they want—no one is censoring it, but Yale doesn’t have to sponsor it. I am sure Aliza is fielding numerous offers to have her installation resurrected.

Guanabee: Let’s use Aliza’s own public statement as a guide for discussion. Is Aliza’s project indicative of any sort of farther-reaching trend in the relationships between women, particularly young women, and their bodies?

Gay Shrink: I am in a field where I work regularly with women (and men too) who manipulate, abuse, control, alter, subjugate, and disfigure their bodies regularly in an attempt to understand their bodies in relation to the world, so Aliza is not off in this regard. I suppose it’s just the medium she chose that seems off to a lot of folks.

Guanabee: Why do you suppose so many people, particularly within the, uh, blogosphere, had such a strong and overwhelmingly negative response to it?

Gay Shrink: Miscarriages are not Matisse.