"I like to think that maybe someone will see a drawing of a powerful woman towering over a decapitated Trump and feel slightly empowered," says illustrator Malie Huffman. "And maybe that will make them forget for a second how fucked everything is." If it seems like a lofty goal, consider the alternatives: "Charging Bull" and all ofit's add-ons, or Kathy Griffin's failed hit-piece with "art postcard" photographer Tyler Shields.
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Huffman, to her credit, doesn't deny that a lot of her drive does come from specifically from inciting shock or disgust within a viewer. Her subject matter largely circulates around subverted pin-up girls, implied bestiality, and rope bondage. Within the scope of her work, a beheaded POTUS is small potatoes.
"Lots of gore, blood, and sex," is how Huffman describes her early drawings. "As I started to actually focus on my style I started drawing really pretty women that were petite and slender. Then, I realized how much more fun it is to draw a representation of all different kinds of women, so now I try to play around with different body types as much as possible. I guess what I'm trying to find is a balance by appropriating the male gaze but also include aspects of female empowerment such as positive body image and sexual liberation."
Though Huffman has largely stuck with the traditional pen to paper or the occasional watercolor, she asserts, "I would love to see more of my work on skin." Her work, already reminiscent of tattoo art, is currently being practiced through stick n' poke on the artist's' friends.
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