50% The Visible Woman
50 % The Visible Woman, Cover of Slinger’s book of collages & poetry,
6 x 9.75”, Published 1971
Penny Slinger’s professional life has been full of bold and transformative moments that have cemented her as a key figure in both feminist art and as a contemporary surrealist icon.
One of her earliest and most exciting milestones came with the publication of 50% The Visible Woman, a book of photo-collages that merged eroticism, dream imagery, and female identity into a radical personal manifesto.
This work shocked and inspired. Slinger used her own body as a canvas to explore the inner life of women in ways that had rarely been seen before. It marked her as an artist unafraid to confront taboos and blur the lines between autobiography and myth.
Her Deep Throat, Photo collage 7.25 x 9.5 inches, 1973, courtesy Penny Slinger
Another pivotal moment in Slinger’s career was her work on the 1977 project An Exorcism, a visual narrative that chronicled a psychological journey through a haunted country house.
Self Image, 1970-1977. Copyright Penny Slinger
Shot at Lilford Hall, the series explored female sexuality, death, and rebirth through layered symbolism and dreamlike sequences. This project was not only a technical and imaginative breakthrough but also a statement about reclaiming spaces traditionally associated with female domesticity and oppression. An Exorcism placed Slinger firmly in the lineage of surrealism while redefining it through a feminist lens, centering on a woman’s experience as the source of surrealist mystery and magic.
Frames captured from ‘Lilford Hall’, uncut footage shot in 1969. Directed by Penny Slinger and Peter Whitehead, camera by Peter Whitehead, featuring Penny Slinger and Suzanka Fraey. This is a screen grab from the master - copy 44. Courtesy Penny Slinger.
“We have many works that follow ‘The Hero's Journey’, but how many that track that of the Heroine? This journey of the embodied soul is not sexist; we all, male and female alike, need to discover who we are. It is like a detective story, in which we, both protagonists and victims, must follow the clues and unravel the plot. This psychological processing is something that I have not seen tackled in any other artwork like I have in ‘An Exorcism’.
This is not a work that exists within a time capsule - it’s a subject that is timeless and universal. It is a blueprint for transformation and sets signposts in the sand for others who wish to know themselves.”
- Penny Slinger, 2024 (Richard Saltoun Gallery - Exorcism: Inside Out, a solo exhibition)
Enter Athena, Photo collage on card, 1970-77 Courtesy of Penny Slinger
Throughout her career, Slinger has profoundly shaped feminist ideas by insisting on women's ownership of their bodies, fantasies, and subconscious realms. She challenged the male gaze, which had long dominated both surrealism and popular art, by taking control of how women’s sexuality and psyche were represented.
Bride’s Cake Series Courtesy Penny Slinger
By making herself the subject, muse, and creator all at once, she disrupted traditional roles and invited new possibilities for feminist expression. Slinger's fearless combination of eroticism and personal mythology helped future generations of artists to see vulnerability and sensuality as sources of power rather than exploitation.
Jane in Marriage, Photographic collage on card 18 x 12”, 1973. Courtesy Penny Slinger
Her involvement with the surrealist movement expanded its possibilities beyond its early 20th-century boundaries. Slinger infused the dreamlike absurdity and subconscious investigations of classic surrealism with a deeply personal, feminist urgency. Rather than positioning the female figure as an unattainable ideal or a symbol of mystery—as many early surrealists did—Slinger placed women at the center of their own mythologies.
Bride in the Bath, Life cast fiberglass, plexi, silk, vintage bathtub 67 x 29 x 24”, 1969 Courtesy Penny Slinger
Slinger’s contributions reimagined surrealism not as a male-dominated escape into fantasy but as a radical tool for confronting inner truths, healing psychological wounds, and envisioning liberation.
All Seeing I, Black and white photograph collage on paper 16 x 12” 1973, Courtesy Penny Slinger
Penny Slinger’s work continues to push boundaries and inspire a new generation of admirers who acknowledge her very personal and profound vision of the world.
THE LAB MAG is proud to host a lecture in Los Angeles at the Aster. We hope you can join us.
*****
A MEMBERS ONLY EVENT
in partnership with The Aster
MONDAY 28th APRIL
Penny slinger lecture
THE FEMALE FORM
& the Architecture of the Patriarchy
“I make artworks to bring the inside out and the outside in.”
THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED.
WAITING LIST ONLY
very laboratory