*Ø* Blogmanac | "Women triumph and men are left screaming in agony"
Dublin, Ireland -- The painting shows a woman in the throes of labour, but her face is calm, her eyes are shining and she has a secret smile playing about her lips. Look further down the canvas and it's clear that it is not a baby she is giving birth to but a man. And as he exits her body, it is the man who is the one in pain, his face that is contorted with the agony of birth.

This painting, along with 39 others like it, is artist Brian Bourke's new exhibition, which is currently on show at Dublin's Taylor Galleries.

Reminiscent of the pagan Sheela-na-Gig carvings, the pieces are a touch disturbing and more than a little fascinating. The artist himself claimed they are all about life and the tensions between the two sexes. "They depict the peculiar relationships between men and women and how ruinous it can be," explained Brian. "In the end, women triumph and men are left screaming in agony. That's why the women appear serene and iconic, while the men are struggling and desperately trying to break free," he said.

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