fillzilla

Tomás Sánchez (Cuban, born 1948)

Allá el Aguacero [There’s the Downpour], 1996

Acrylic on linen

35.5 x 27.5 cm. (14 x 10 ⁷/₈ in)

Most mammals have, compared to humans, an elongated jaw. So a little tiny bump of a mammary gland is fine, just enough to get the nostrils away from the teat, and the young can freely breathe while nursing. However, as humans started using fire more and more to cook food - which softened it up, rendering powerful jaws less necessary - their jaws began to shorten, resulting in the development of the chin and other unique facial structures as the face flattened out.

This, of course, meant that babies could suffocate while nursing, which would obviously be bad. But what if... what if nipple further from chest? Bigger bump, so baby's nose have spot to go that isn't directly into mommy's chest? Oh, turns out that works! Of course, as more and more fat stores become dedicated to growing that breast mound to keep baby from suffocating, it becomes harder and harder for the mother to reabsorb that tissue when not nursing (as many other mammals do), so they just... don't. Knockon effects from there, and bam. Tiddies.

In Greenlandic Inuit tradition, some objects were believed to carry forces far beyond their physical form.

Known as tupilaqs, these strange figures were associated with spirits, magic, and vengeance. Traditionally, they were said to be created from materials such as animal parts, bone, skin, and sometimes other remains, then brought to life through ritual power to harm an enemy.

The surviving tupilaqs seen today are usually later carvings made from materials like wood, ivory, or bone, especially from the late 1800s onward. These were often created as preserved artistic objects, but they still reflect an older spiritual world filled with fear, power, and unseen forces.

Their twisted shapes, hollow eyes, and unsettling forms were not meant to look beautiful in a simple way.