Receptacle of Lurid Things

"One of Lucas's first "self-portraits", then, was a small cast of her middle finger. The finger, which offers up the universal fuck-you, is divorced and disassociated from face, tits, and bush. While the author of the crude statement is ultimately Lucas, the gesture is tossed anonymously, so its sentiment is appraised solely on the merit of its baseness. As a result, the contrariness, the adverse posturing of the character "Sarah Lucas", targets everyone and any authority, sending the clear message that there are no alliances in the gallery." (C. Schorr, "The Fine Line Between This and That", Parkett No.45, Zurich 1995, p. 98)

Quintessentially British, Sarah Lucas exploits the brash and sensational tactics of the tabloid press to explore issues of gender and representation within working-class culture. By translating vernacular slang into visual form, Lucas lays bare the underlying brutal and misogynist nature of this language.
(C. Ennis, Public Offering, Los Angeles 2001)