The Phoenix Rising for Galaxy Crossing
American Artist, Vanessa Tiegs, is the mother of Menstrala, the name of her 88 paintings published between 2000-2003 on LiveJournal user name, SpiralingMoon. Her iconic painting, Galaxy Crossing, from 2001, represents the phoenix rising from menstrual death to complete feminine renewal. Throughout the decades, her Menstrala paintings have made hundreds of appearances in film documentaries, academic journals, art magazines, posters, and blogs, inspiring a worldwide art movement and igniting memes. Yet, her Menstrala serve one sole purpose: to thoughtfully reframe the story of humanity’s oldest, least understood taboo, menstrual blood. From her first painting, Silverfish Spirits, to her 88th final work, The Decoder, the artist’s collection spells out meaning from chaos, ultimately transforming menstrual blood into gold, as symbolized by a mandala with gold as the core.