Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi was arrested for allegedly distributing the digital file of a 3D model of her genitals as part of project to make a vagina boat, reports The Independent.
Igarashi has previously made a vagina kayak, a vagina lampshade, a remote-controlled vagina car, a vagina smartphone case, and other items. From Igarashi's Web site:
I make art pieces with my vagina, which I would rather call Manko(MK).
I thought it was just funny to decorate my vagina and make into a diorama,
but I was very surprised to see how upset people get when they see my works or even hear me say the word Manko.
Even when a TV station asked me to be on their show, they wouldn't dare let me say DECO-MAN because "MAN" is from the taboo word "Manko".
Why did I start making these kind of art pieces?
It's because I had never seen the vagina of others and I was too self-conscious of mine.
I did not know what a vagina should look like at the same time, so I thought mine was abnormal. Manko and vagina, have been such a taboo in Japanese society.
Penis, on the other hand, has been used in illustrations and has become a part of pop culture. But vagina has never been so cute.
Vagina has been thought to be obscene because its been overly hidden; although it is just a part of a woman's body.
Here is her project fundraising video: