Pussy, King of the Pirates unifies 20 non-male artists who engage in and question the physical and conceptual use of the body in form, medium, and identity politics. The works represent a contemporary reclamation of the female figure, the depiction of which has historically been from the heteronormative male perspective. While the latter has both defined and composed the canon of figuration and formalism heretofore, their compositions of female figures are now more vulnerable to criticisms of objectification. Those who do not self-identify with that status quo – whether female, non-binary, queer, or transgender – may be released from a stigmatic history of a specific oppression. The question remains whether or not they are absolved from the act of objectifying, should that be the ultimate desire at all. Pussy, King of the Pirates is on view through September 8th at Maccarone Gallery, 300 South Mission Road, Los Angeles. photographs by Oliver Kupper