VIENNA – Miss Van’s elegant ladies have a temporary home at the Inoperable Gallery in Austria. Her paintings are more detailed and stylized versions of the graffiti that she first developed as her signature.

The Toulouse, France native started painting the streets in the 1990s, one of the first women to do so, and although she eschewed the typical spray paint for acrylic, her cartoon dolls quickly became provocative symbols that have appeared on the walls across Europe and in galleries across the world. The dolls became the equivalent of tagging her name, little self-portraits that represent aspects of her personality, as well as femininity.

The Inoperable exhibit features paintings of sexy, buxom women on wood. They are representative of the way Miss Van has delved into darker territory in recent years, the evolution from the first cutesy, cartoon-like dolls she took to the streets. These women, often wearing animal masks or even animal heads, unabashedly stare down viewers, unafraid of displaying their sexuality behind their mask. They challenge the typically masculine world of street art and provoke the viewer—is it acceptable to feel attracted to such women who are approaching the line of bestiality?

Inoperable will also carry copies of Miss Van’s book Twinkles. The exhibit went on display Nov. 24 and is available for viewing until Jan. 21 at Burggasse 24 1070 Vienna, Austria.

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