Visions of Self is an annual show of work from female artists across the world. It’s hosted by the Women’s Voices, Women’s Vision group of Yosemite Sierra Artists. In our second year, we’re featuring over 100 artists from 14 countries, with work including the subjects of self-portraiture, environment, emotions, and state of being.
Sisters on Saturday Night
Private moments are made public in my work to explore ideas of intimacy, femininity, and body image in self-reflective ways. My work draws upon my childhood/adolescent experiences of navigating body awareness and self-presentation as a girl, sister, daughter, dancer, and gymnast.
My process is influenced by feminist art of the 60’s and 70’s, and involves manipulating materials/color to play with depth, transparency, and three-dimensionality. I paint on layers of pink tulle- a transparent fabric, often associated with domesticity- to push beyond the superficial surface of painting, activating a performative space to reveal the internal discomfort that comes with performing socially-constructed ideas of femininity. Ripping and unraveling tulle in my process suggests a level of messiness in the presentation of the figures, which essentially disrupts the American expectation of what it means to be feminine, resists patriarchal standards, and rejects the power dynamics within the gallery.
Get in touch: nnovakart.weebly.com