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This piece is an observation of a trend in contemporary popular culture. Sometime in the last few years, the favored depiction of a woman as a beautiful, sometimes intelligent, but ultimately helpless being, turned into one of a kick-ass-and-take-names broad. This can be seen everywhere, from the popularity of video game hero Laura Croft, to the warrior-queen Amidala in the recent Star Wars Episode I, to commercials advertising fight-style based exercise programs at local gyms. Here I show one of these popular amazons, the character of Aeryn Sun from the Sci Fi Channel's series Farscape, holding a gun to the head of doll. The nails around the doll's head bring the viewer's focus back to the doll, while at the same time referencing the possible result of the gunfire and the surprise lines drawn into cartoons. The splinter of wood along the top of the image forces attention back to the doll and echoes the line of action, the red background represents anger, blood, and the "heat of the moment," and the slightly off-balance composition reinforces the overall tension of the piece. When I first finished this piece, I had two versions of it. The other version had the two "girls" seperated by most of the image space, and Aeryn did not have her left hand in the image. I couldn't decide which one I liked better because I liked the tension of one, and the balance of the other. So I emailed both to my friends and took print-outs to work and asked everyone for their opinions (artmaking by committee...). The responses I received helped me to choose this one as the stronger of the two for what I was attempting to convey, and the reasons for that choice, especially from the people I work with, helped me to understand the symbols I had placed into the piece in a way that I had not been able to put into words. It was also interesting to hear the reactions of many of my friends and family members (most of whom are not really art people), and the ill-ease that the image gave them. I think that thier reactions, as much as anything, showed me that I had created good art. The violence of this piece is extremely ironic to people who know me, and it scares my mother. But my intention was always to simply visually state an observation, not to champion violence. This piece won Best of Show at Arts on the Park's 2002 Mayshow. |
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