“It’s based on a story from Africa: When the male warriors come back from war, they walk through a welcoming line of women, whose breasts are said to have healing qualities,” Kinn explains. Given this country’s involvement in a war from which soldiers are returning to an environment devoid of such sustenance, King wanted to evoke the spirit of that ritual in a form acceptable to Western culture, where women don’t normally show their breasts in public.
Now’s your chance to join in the healing process, which King previously performed to great success in Lyons. Today at 11 a.m., concurrent with the Boulder Farmers’ Market, women can duck into BMoCA, at 1750 13th Street in Boulder, for a pep talk on the feminine body by King and then decide whether or not to bare their boobs for the sake of art (privacy is ensured during the process). “This is something that’s a bit way out there for us; the museum’s never done anything quite like it before,” Kinn admits. “But I thought, ‘Why not?’ We’re a contemporary-art museum, and this is a contemporary work.”
The resulting flags will be strung up for display at a future date. Participation is free; for details, visit www.breastprayersforpeace.blogspot.com or call BMoCA at 303-443-2122.
Sat., July 11, 11 a.m., 2009
