Of Eyes, Mouths, & Bodies Statement

I was accepted into another gallery show! 2009 is turning out to be a good year for exhibition... I will be showing two artist's books at the Susan Hensel Gallery of Minneapolis, MN from March 6 - April 15, 2009. The show is a ninth annual Reader's Art, a collection of artist's books. The theme this year is "Small, Smaller, Smallest." Here are some pictures and a statement. Click here for more information about the show.

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“Of Eyes, Mouths & Bodies”

Statement

In “Of Eyes, Mouths, & Bodies,” exquisite corpses dance through the pages of a miniature flag book. These disjointed, assembled figured are characteristic of the various people one person can be. Similar to my work in other fields of art, possibility is a prevalent theme.

In particular, the “Of Eyes, Mouths, & Bodies” pieces combine features of men and women as a commentary on learned gender, which is acquired after birth. In addition to their overall body language, the facial expressions of the subjects generally denote a lack of concern. This is the imagined feeling I experience while daydreaming about the loss of gender. In her article, “‘Night to His Day’: The Social Construction of Gender,” Judith Lorber writes,

Gender signs and signals are so ubiquitous that we usually fail to note them—unless they are missing or ambiguous. Then we are uncomfortable until we have successfully placed the other person in a gender status; otherwise, we feel socially dislocated.

Although “Of Eyes, Mouths, & Bodies” does not compel a sense of discomfort in the viewer, Lorber’s concept underlines the freedom with which I chose imagery for the book. The bright colors and miniature scale make “Of Eyes, Mouths, & Bodies” approachable and playful.