Performance artist Marni Kotak had her own take on the gruesome nature of child birth. Only a few miles away from Heyman’s shot in Manhattan, Kotak set up a home birthing room in the Microscope Gallery in Brooklyn. Once in labor, she walked to the gallery and interested viewers were alerted that the birth was happening. She sat in her inflatable pool and delivered the child. Even after watching Kotak’s agony, viewers glamorized the spectacle by only commenting on her beauty rather than her strength or ability. Even when a woman depicts herself performing agonizing action of human life, she is still summed to her physical appearance.
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Learn more about the “Baby X” series here.