Marguerite Humeau
Shameless Venus, A 20-year-old female human has ingested a mole’s brain
Shameless Venus, A 20-year-old female human has ingested a mole’s brain by Marguerite Humeau forms part of a project that draws upon research into the use of psychoactive substances present in animal brains during the Paleolithic period. Bolstered by research by archaeologist Bethe Hagens, the artist explores the hypothesis that prehistoric shamans consumed the psychoactive parts of animal brains in order to achieve spiritual ecstasy and that the found figurines, reproduced by Marguerite Humeau, are an archival remnant of these experiences. The so-called “Venus figurines” take the form of ambiguous female forms and despite their exaggerated gendered traits, the onus is instead upon the resemblance to the ingested animal brains that led to their production. The digitally rendered figures are made of different materials, including limestone, alabaster and bronze.