‘Feminine’ is defined as qualities which are “traditionally ascribed to women, as sensitivity or gentleness” or “delicacy and prettiness”. Today’s definition of femininity is not so clear cut. It is often confusing, full of dualisms and double-standards; it promises independence while reenforcing the patriarchal and oppressive structures from which it originated. 
 

This work attempts to induce a state of disequilibrium for the viewer. The textural landscape reveals disembodied body parts that emerge and appear to grow from the folds of material. A sense of tension is created between appreciation of the fabric’s beauty and the fear generated by these foreign objects. This unsettling notion is my visual interpretation of the trials faced by women and those who embody ‘feminine’ attributes.

The Fabric of Femininity

The female bodies we see represented in popular culture and specifically in advertising more often occupy a space of appearance than one of action — they are not usually engaged with their surroundings, but rather used as decorative objects like furniture to embellish the environments they occupy. 

 

These paintings explore how this allocation of space affects the body. They are intended to create a self awareness in the viewer as a participant in the process of objectification. 

Object Spaces

In this series, I am focusing in on the feminine body and its connection to nature, life and decay. Much like a mushroom, women are situated at both ends of the life cycle.

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The body language of the figures is drawn directly from pin-up shots and magazine spreads, creating a connection to the gaze and beauty, but the craggy, pitted texture of their 'flesh' denies a purely aesthetic reading. These are not bodies presenting themselves for your pleasure.

Fruiting Bodies

This series of three works was created for the show titled Horror Vacui in 2017, and was later shown during Framing Femininity the same year.


These pieces contrast pin-up silhouettes of feminine figures amongst an all-encompassing tangle of surrounding material: one fluorescent-pink thorns, the next some sort of cable, and the last vines spotted with peering floral eyes. The figure is depicted as absence, miniature compared with the overwhelming mess they're surrounded by.

Observations on Femininity

In developing this series, I was thinking about the social spaces our bodies occupy, and how the roles assigned to us can often feel constricting.

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