Designing for Desire: An Exploration of Feminine Identity

Location

Nessmith-Lane Atrium

Session Format

Poster Presentation

Research Area Topic:

Humanities & Social Sciences - Performing & Visual Arts

Abstract

My current body of sculpture, painting is about personal identity and body image, specifically feminine body image. With respect to the male gaze, my corsets made from paper pulp depict an external apparatus that represents the confining nature of societal and historical views of women as erotic objects. My paintings, which render more contemporary moments of dressing and undressing, also address the male gaze. However, these images depict self-perception of the subject and focus on intimate moments that can define a young woman's self image.

Through the male gaze, common place objects and actions become intimate and are focal points of my compositions. I apply thick layers of paint on canvas and combine both aggressive, forceful brush strokes and carving with delicate painting to capture my frustration with the world around the figure. I create my corsets with only two materials, molded paper pulp and metal. The cold and unyielding metal woven into the fragile paper sculptures captures how the male gaze is layered onto my own identity as well as outside expectations.

I am heavily influenced by not only the world around me but also by my own struggles with identity. Growing up I was told so many contradictory ways of how I was expected to conduct myself as a young woman from the way that I dressed down to how I was expected to talked to people. These constricting ideals are the frame work for this body of work.

In order to keep track of my ideas, I keep a journal and logged any thoughts that occurred about the subject matter. I found that logging my deepest emotions is the most helpful. In conjunction with logging my own personal thoughts, I looked at Contemporary figure artists for inspiration with technique.

Through the act of sculpting, painting and drawing, I combat all the anxiety and frustration by interrupting contemplation through action as the means of acceptance.

Presentation Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

Start Date

4-16-2016 2:45 PM

End Date

4-16-2016 4:00 PM

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS
 
Apr 16th, 2:45 PM Apr 16th, 4:00 PM

Designing for Desire: An Exploration of Feminine Identity

Nessmith-Lane Atrium

My current body of sculpture, painting is about personal identity and body image, specifically feminine body image. With respect to the male gaze, my corsets made from paper pulp depict an external apparatus that represents the confining nature of societal and historical views of women as erotic objects. My paintings, which render more contemporary moments of dressing and undressing, also address the male gaze. However, these images depict self-perception of the subject and focus on intimate moments that can define a young woman's self image.

Through the male gaze, common place objects and actions become intimate and are focal points of my compositions. I apply thick layers of paint on canvas and combine both aggressive, forceful brush strokes and carving with delicate painting to capture my frustration with the world around the figure. I create my corsets with only two materials, molded paper pulp and metal. The cold and unyielding metal woven into the fragile paper sculptures captures how the male gaze is layered onto my own identity as well as outside expectations.

I am heavily influenced by not only the world around me but also by my own struggles with identity. Growing up I was told so many contradictory ways of how I was expected to conduct myself as a young woman from the way that I dressed down to how I was expected to talked to people. These constricting ideals are the frame work for this body of work.

In order to keep track of my ideas, I keep a journal and logged any thoughts that occurred about the subject matter. I found that logging my deepest emotions is the most helpful. In conjunction with logging my own personal thoughts, I looked at Contemporary figure artists for inspiration with technique.

Through the act of sculpting, painting and drawing, I combat all the anxiety and frustration by interrupting contemplation through action as the means of acceptance.