Melbourne fashion illustrator Liza Dezfouli took a stab at shoe fetishism for her exhibition “Rude Shoes”, not only experimenting with definition, but “having a bit of fun” with her own penis and pussy-whipped versions of it. “My shoes are sexual objects in themselves,” she says. “They’re meant to tease.”
Mary Johns
Since the 17th century when shoes were elevated enough to elongate a lady’s calf muscles, trigger the confident unfurling of her spine, the elegant up-tip of her chin and boom-shacka swing of her womanly hips (provided, of course, the lady is also practiced in the art of walking in the bloody things), they have been naturally hooked up to notions of sex.
Stocking Shoe
Liza took this connection literally, and quite prettily in her naive girly illustrative style, into an intriguing little series of line and wash-style digital drawings including, “Stocking shoe”, “Mary Johns” and “Dome Shoe”. She tackles the paradox of heels: “We wear heels and arch our backs, walk in mincing steps with a wiggling derriere, calf muscles elongated, partially assuming a mating pose called ‘lordosis’,” says Liza.
“High heels render us vulnerable as we cannot run in them (most of us, anyway), but we tower over others and feel powerful…”
Pusslace boot
Turn away now if the artful and charming engagement of naughty body bits; labia and breasts, erect penises and delicate renderings of fellatio and cunnilingus, with their natural sartorial soulmates, high heels, tend to offend. Or, indulge that curiosity with this young illustrator: “Rude Shoes” the exhibition is free, and on at the appropriately chosen Dirty Little Gallery, 242 Victoria Street, Brunswick, Wednesdays to Sundays, 10 am. to 4 pm., until Thursday March 28.
www.lizadezfouli.com
www.lizadezdezigns.com
Janice Breen Burns
