Series Title: Self Portrait…
Date: 2021-2023
Dimensions: Varies
Material: pantyhose/nylon, thread, and various stuffing materials (hair, lint, polyester stuffing),body contouring textiles/clothing, shoulder pads, bra wires, human hair (my own, collected from the last decade), lipstick, makeup, nail polish, rose petals, resin, ceramic components, IUD, speculum, earrings, etc.
Photo Credit: Nichol Marsch
Photo Description: Work on display at The Mary E. Black Gallery in the Nova Scotia Centre for Craft - May 09-Jult 7th 2024
Self Portrait… is a collection of 35 works constructed using nylons, bra wires, stuffing, clothing, shoulder pads, human hair (the artists), makeup, nail polish, rose petals, resin, ceramics, and other collected objects. This work narrows in on personal and emotional themes of the individual, and body. Its purpose is to provoke discussion about how lousy people often feel, the physical/mental pain and discomfort that impacts our lives, and to address a lack of discussion about negative emotions and experiences in society as a result of social stigma (& Toxic Positivity) as well as the disconnection of people from their bodies natural processes. Each work is constructed to embody lived emotions, states of mental health, and elements of body image which represent my experiences and reflect on the experiences I have observed in others and in society.
Self-portraits often represent the most favourable image of an individual or the most appealing attribute to the audience. Attributes are enhanced and favour the image of the individual. We see this in historical paintings of men who are made to appear larger than their horses and enemies, and in images of women who have been enhanced or manipulated to cater to the male gaze. Fast forward to the contemporary selfie craze where self-portraits (even those meant to show the subject in an ‘ugly’ or ‘raw’ state) are highly filtered, and edited before release. My work intends to counter this toxic positivity whereby excessive positivity disallows or rejects true feelings and brings about states of denial and repressed emotions: genuine human emotions are contradicted.