acrylic, glitter, crystals on canvas, 60 x 60 cm
from the series: iconoclasm
simona mm dissects the pop icon and stitches it back together — warped, raw, unstable. the banana — a slick symbol of sexuality, pleasure, and capitalist excess — becomes charged with friction, balancing between seduction and violence. the figure’s parted lips and exaggerated blonde hair nod toward warhol’s marilyn, but the textures resist pop art’s polish. it’s not about seduction — it’s about refusal. the mouth bites down — consuming, rejecting, reclaiming.
crystals over the eyes create a tension between visibility and blindness — glamour that shields as much as it reveals. the figure is hyper-feminized, but not passive. the teeth that grip the banana recall natalia ll’s consumer art, but here the gesture shifts — it’s not about consumption, but possession. the body no longer performs for the viewer; it consumes and dismantles the gaze.
this is pop unmade. the banana — a recurring symbol in feminist and queer art — becomes both weapon and offering. the glossy surface of pop art is fractured, exposing a raw edge beneath. simona mm queers the language of consumerism — biting back, owning desire, and resisting consumption as spectacle.
through a trans lens, femininity here becomes an act of possession rather than projection. the body — distorted, hyper-visible, and ultimately untouchable — challenges the viewer’s desire for easy consumption. glamour and vulnerability coexist, but without resolution. it lingers in that discomfort, daring to consume what cannot be owned.