Fiber optic Issue #20

Artist Whitney Lee's latch-hook bags give new meaning to soft porn

By Jen Hazen
Published: June 14th, 2004 | 11:17am

Best known for her large, elaborate latch-hook rugs of Playboy models, artist Whitney Lee is bringing the stag party to a bag near you. Each naked-but-PG-rated latch-hook bag consists of a sturdy canvas tote graced with a sexy silhouette that is sure to get plenty of second glances.

Why naked ladies? “I started latch-hooking pornography because of the excellent dichotomy between a woman who is crafty versus a woman who is sexy,” Lee says. “That’s something that’s being explored by other artists, such as Jenny Hart [of Sublime Stitching]. I think that maybe society is ready for it; lots of ladies in different places are feeling it at the same time.”

“I just love how it’s walking a line,” Lee says. “In my head, I’m kind of poking fun at the Playboy girls, but if you look at my work, you don’t think that I’m slanderous at all. In a way, I’m almost celebrating them.”

How did the collaboration with Neuty.com start as far as the bags?

Have you heard of Spector Gallery in Philadelphia?

I’m not familiar with it, unfortunately.

It’s a wonderful place. The owner, Shelly Spector, is an artist and she has her studio in the back. She shows mainly street art, which is really cool. She tries to show art that costs less than other art, giving opportunities both to emerging artists who are able to sell their work at a lower price and also making art for affordable for everyone. I interned for her while I lived in Philly for six months. She has an annual show around Christmas called Red Dot where all of the art for sale has to cost less than $100.

My art is so elaborate and tedious, but I get to show at her gallery. She usually only shows Philly artists, but I get to show there because I lived there when she met me, she likes my stuff and we’re good friends. So, I’m lucky that she lets me show my work. I’m kind of pushing to think of how I can do my work so that I can make that amount [of money] on it, and make pieces smaller than I would’ve thought to go myself.

For this year’s Red Dot show, I thought of making bags and, later, the white pieces. I made several of each and I’d like to mention that I had help on the bags from my friend, Cristina Bendetti, because I had to make them over a short period of time. She helped me make the actual body of the bag and I did the design and the hook for that.

Once I got the left-overs from the show, I thought, ‘What do I do with these now?’ They don’t really fit into another show where I would show my artwork. So, being an avid reader of the Venus, Bust, Bitch stuff, I knew that neuty.com was out there, so I checked it out. Actually, I periodically go there if I’m surfing the web anyway. I saw they had a guest designer section so I just e-mailed them and said, ‘Can I please be your guest designer?’ They knew who I was from associates and said, ‘Oh yea, we like your work,’ so it was perfect.

And it’s always been soft porn. I haven’t tried to do anything explicit. Partly, because I think it takes away. I think it’s more shock value than it would be anything meaningful. Also, because it’s more of a complicated idea that I’m trying to transfer into a rug. It would be harder for it to come across.

A limited selection of Lee's bags is available at neuty.com.