THE GREAT MASTURBATOR

DESCRIPTION

This beautifully crafted wearable sculpture/bag is crafted out of silver metallic calfskin and is embellished with a detachable headgear featuring razor sharp teeth and padded ears that form the features of an irritating looking rabbit. The exterior is adorned with a pair of hand-polished, mirror-finished 316L stainless steel ‘hands’ in the form of a Morningstar-a signature emblem of the iCONS+ series, and a spring keyring with a removable carrot charm.

The bag is secured with a smooth Raccagni silver-tone zipper and comes with a pocket with an invisible magnetic closure at the front. The interior of the bag is fully lined in electric blue recycled cotton twill and has a small silver metallic calfskin patch pocket. The artisan mark “E” and year of production mark “A” are stamped on the back of the right zipper stopper.

The bag is versatile and can be worn as a crossbody or shoulder bag with a single shoulder strap, or as a backpack with double shoulder straps. Alternatively, it can also be displayed as a beautiful art object.

MORE DETAILS

H20 x W14 x D10 cm (8” x 5.5” x 4”)
Exterior: 100% Calfskin
Interior: One calfskin patch pocket
100% Recycled cotton twill lining
Front flap pocket with magnetic closure
Two adjustable shoulder straps
Removable carrot charms
Removable headgear
Hand-polished mirror finished 316L stainless steel hardware
Required 45 hours for one artisan to make
Cross-body, shoulder bag and backpack
Can also be displayed as an art object
Individually handmade in China
Reference No. CX23U0104005

STORY

The Great Masturbator is heavily inspired by the earlier works of American pop artist Jeff Koons, specifically ‘Inflatable Flower and Bunny (Tall White and Pink Bunny)’, 1979 and ‘Rabbit’ from 1986. The latter, a 3-foot stainless steel sculpture, sold for $91.1 million at Christie’s in New Work in 2019, setting a record for the most expensive work by a living artist to be sold at an auction.

“A minimalist sheen with a naïve sense of play” was what Christie’s described what could arguably be one of the most iconic works of 20th-century art in its lot essay. When I first saw the sculpture, I couldn’t wrap my head around its minimalist beauty; I was stunned. The faceless, gleaming rabbit had a profound impact on how I viewed and thought about art.

The Great Masturbator, my version of Koons’ work, features a shiny, bulbous, and irritating-looking miniature rabbit clutching a carrot. It attempts to instill the visual language of childhood, of all that is pure and innocent while at the same time materializing the utter banality of our erotic imagination. The bunny with a long and narrow carrot with leaves bursting on the top in its left hand, deliberately invokes the thoughts of self-indulgence and carnal pleasures in the viewers. This ever-present duality of obscenity and innocence that The Great Masturbator conveys, our little monster within, is what makes us human.

Ultimately, The Great Masturbator is more about ourselves than my personal admiration for the artist. The conscious choice of reflective material and mirror-polished stainless steel hardware makes whoever or whatever takes a picture of the work a selfie-taker. Whether distorted or not, the reflection we see in the work is an invitation to look at the world we live in more carefully and more openly.

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