Vanessa German (born 1976) is an American sculptor, painter, writer, activist, performer, and poet based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her sculpture often includes assembled statues of female figures with their faces or heads painted black, and a wide range of attached objects, including fabric, keys, found objects, and toy weapons. German is an activist, addressing problems like gun violence and prostitution. German uses her art to address hate in the world while also expressing hope for the future. Vanessa German’s sometimes.we.cannot.be.with.our.bodies at Mattress Factory