The Cremaster Cycle

Welcome to The Cremaster Cycle. Eschewing chronological order like an avant-garde George Lucas, director Matthew Barney started with Cremaster 4 in 1994 and completed the cycle with Cremaster 3 in 2002. It is named after the cremaster, the muscle that regulates the height of the testicles in the male body, based on outside temperature or inner emotions. In Barney's work, the term refers to the idea of gender undifferentiation, which characterizes a fetus' first seven weeks in the uterus before the sexual organs ascend to form a female or descend to form a male body. This undefined state is the departing point for Matthew Barney to relentlessly explore the evolution of form through fantastical allegories and metaphors encompassing biology, classic mythology, religion and Hollywood culture.