Almost

My project explores the fascination I have with the line between abstraction and representation. By searching for the right balance between both, I find one can relate to the experience of a painting in a tangible yet emotional way. I like to refer to this balance as the almost, because I am searching for that moment where someone can just start to explain to themselves what the painting is about while still having unanswered questions. I am using the almost as a tool to make work regarding feminism. I find that this subject matter and this method is a perfect match to make work about a women’s experience in a patriarchal society. Historically women’s bodies have been considered objects made for the male gaze. I aim to critique this societal standard by depicting bodies in more open-ended and abstract manner by creating biomorphic forms through texture and luminous color. By not presenting a woman’s body as an object for a viewer to enjoy, but to put the viewer through an experience in which they feel they are inside of the body I am flipping the dialogue between viewer and painting, giving the painting the power over the viewer.