How Bizarre, How Familiar is an immersive, visceral journey into the disorienting landscape of an identity crisis.
In becoming both unemployed and fat in a short time the artist asks questions about her value in society and what identity can she claim - if any. Utilizing a diverse range of materials and mediums this exhibition conveys the intricacies of identity, labor, feminism, abjection, and the body. Artworks are constructed of 3D models, large-scale projections, found objects, and fiber weavings. Through this combination of contrasting concepts and materials; ultra-feminine and masculine, tangible and immaterial, real and the facade converge to create a dizzying, distorting, carnival of self-exploration which mirrors the disconcerting feeling of inhabiting a body and an identity that you no longer recognize as your own.
The interactive and sensory elements of this installation invite viewers to engage with the artist’s “body” with their own. Through this How Bizarre, How Familiar mirrors the contradictory emotions associated with the pursuit of beauty, the demands of labor, and the relentless drive for productivity. The exhibition becomes a canvas upon which the artist grapples with her own and societal expectations of value and identity, while also inviting viewers to confront their relationships with these constructs.
How Bizarre, How Familiar invites viewers to engage with the absurd aspects of the human experience, exploring the intersection of identity, societal expectations, and the ever-evolving relationship with one's own body.
Tangled Beauty
3’ x 5’ x 7’
Acrylic yarn, eyelashes, port wine, acrylic paint, acrylic press-on nails, chain
Tangled Beauty is a visceral exploration of womanhood and self-perception. Placed strategically in a doorway, this entry point is a portal into the realm of dysmorphia. As viewers traverse the tangled web of yarn, they confront the detritus of false beauty. The sculpture's intentionally tight tunnel allows visitors to navigate it uncomfortably, echoing the artist's feelings about her body—large, unwieldy, and complicated.
Mirrored Skin
5’x3’x3’
Muslin, viscose, poly-fill, PVC pipe, acrylic yarn, projected video
Mirrored Skin is an interactive installation where the viewer becomes the subject. This piece demands physical interaction as viewers grab hold of the lumpy surface to place their heads into a hole where they become part of the unpredictable, morphing skin projection. This piece forces participants into standing alone on a stage, uncertain of the form their body will take.
Specimen
10”x17”x12”
Two glass bell jars, a stolen monitor from Bitwise Industries, RaspberryPi
Much like a two-headed calf in a jar of formaldehyde, Specimen features cultural landmarks that have been preserved in containers as animated holograms. This collection of oddities provides an intimate look at the absurdities and shifts in societal perceptions of the female form.
Norma the female form is a digital sculpture based on the one by the same name by artist Abram Belskie and obstetrician-gynecologist Robert Latou Dickinson in 1943. This sculpture was paraded around America as a symbol of the “ideal woman” her measurements are based on the study done by Ruth O’Brien to determine a standard clothing size for women, the same clothing sizes we use today. If the viewer watches long enough, an invisible force wreaks havoc on the form, expanding and distorting its shape.
Cheesy Gordita Crunch (Sub Beef for Beans) reflects my own struggles with food and disordered eating, my absolute love of Taco Bell, and guilt.
The Backroom
3’x5’x3’’
Office chair, stress relief pamphlets, work hour report, desk lamp, microwave, calendar
In a corner, The Backroom serves as a holding place for escaping these questions around identity and personal value because while compelling, they are also exhausting and endless. While making the work in this exhibition, I recorded my hours as I would at a corporate job. This piece is standing in for questions I have about how to measure my worth as a person through my work (artistic or otherwise) as well as representing the mundanity of the “behind the scenes” in any workplace in general.
Photos from Natalie Smith, Sarah O'Leary, and Heather Hubbard