[Location] San Diego Art Department Gallery
[Exhibition Description]
This mixed media exhibition explores the contemporary vision of the Southern California woman. We ask ourselves the following questions: How do we see women differently than men see us? How does our specific Southern Californian culture and identity affect how we portray women? Can the erotic, the feminist, the feminine, and the working artist/woman be reconciled? —Anna Stump
Ginger Rosser
Carefree Girl paper collage, 2009
Lured paper collage, 2009
I've lived in Southern California since 1962.
I am a product of the feminism of the 1970s and the marketing of pop culture.
My recent creations reflect what's been on my mind.
Despite all the sociological and technological advancements since 1969: it's still all about—sex.
Daphne Hill
Mark, Chloe, Trichomonas mixed media on wood, 2008
Abel, Suzanna, HIV mixed media on wood, 2008
Darian, Gabriella, Gonorrhea mixed media on canvas, 2008
Jacob, Tabitha, Herpes Simplex mixed media on wood, 2008
I was in my final semester at the University of Tennessee, scanning the local radio stations, when I heard the following: “God is the head of Christ, Christ is the head of man, and man is the head of woman.” Holly shit! Did I hear that right? The Baptist preacher repeated the words of his sermon, this time with even greater conviction.
Oh… my God! I had an epiphany. I hit the stacks and researched feminine scapegoats of the Bible and Greek mythology –Lilith, Eve, Delilah, Arachne, Pandora, Persephone. I created a series of drawings of women’s hands holding various fruits such as oranges, apples and pomegranates. Erotically charged with a feminist message, the hands held the fruit, which bore a strong resemblance to male genitalia, suspended in a moment which could either be one of pleasure or pain. The pieces were erotically charged but also held a feminist message.
I continue to strive for this tension in my work today. The Venereal Narrative Series is about romantic love with the complications of sexually transmitted diseases.
Enjoy.
Irene Abraham
I’ll Show You Mine acrylic on paper, 2005
You Show Me Yours acrylic on paper, 2005
“I’ll show you mine” and “You show me yours” are portraits of the X and Y chromosome respectively, compared with some luscious vegetables. These paintings reflect on the role of chromosomes in sex determination and the biological basis of gender differences between women and men. Females have two X chromosomes, while males have an X and Y chromosome. The Y chromosome contains genes required for male characteristics. The chromosomes are depicted in proportion to their relative size. The fact that the X chromosome is much larger than the male determining Y chromosome has not escaped our attention.
Because of my background as a biologist I am used to thinking about structural appearance and organization at different magnifications – so chromosomes and vegetables can play against each other in my imaginary world
Therese Rossi
Emergency # 2 oil on canvas, 2009 – 2010
My paintings are essentially about anxiety: the anxiety of choices, of directing energy; the need for order and the excitement of chaos. Being an expressive, lyrical painter is certainly not the domain female artists, and my images could be considered soft. I often worried that a beautiful painting wouldn’t be take seriously.
My concern for how the formal art world may view this has faded at last… I’m led intuitively in my painting as always, but am making more personal, and as a result, better paintings.
Anna Stump
Brooklyn, Messy Bedroom Series acrylic on canvas, 2009
Los Angeles, Messy Bedroom Series acrylic on canvas, 2009
The Messy Bedroom Series of paintings is based on photographs of friends in their bedrooms in intimate, casual scenes and multiple exposures. I am interested in the psychology of the moment, in the narcissism of the subject and the voyeurism of the viewer. My narratives stems from the adult idea of the erotic, in opposition to juvenile bedroom antics that proliferate in the media. The images are also related to photos people post on social network sites such as Facebook.
This series continues my ongoing exploration of how people relate with their bodies to environments, to partners and friends, and to their emotional states.
Presented are two artists in their bedrooms, as odalisques. One is young and just starting life (morning). The other is more mature, with many accomplishments to her name (evening). Both women struggle daily with identity: their physicality versus their skills and intellect
Jocelyn Duke
Hot Pink Giners pencil and gouache on paper, 2009
Black Boobs pencil and gouache on paper, 2009
I am constantly questioning what is real and what is not real. There is a common thread in all my work of being deceptively subversive.
The Nakeds Series are all painted in different candy color tones to draw the viewer in to reveal the main subject matter. The initial reaction to the small, multiple images go from shock to recognition to comparison. A sexualized body part on its own is initially surprising or titillating. When recognition settles in, there is the realization that all the images, which at first glance, seem uniform, are actually all individuals. Finally, there is the comparison or self-reflection of the individual images. Everyone is different, everyone is the same; nothing is original, everything is original.
Ever since I can remember I have been intrigued with color, shapes, lines, the abstract and the conceptual. Creating art is a major way of how I communicate with others, especially when I am trying to express what I see in my head. My art is an extension of who I am: strong minded, willful, playful, analytical and sensitive. For me, art and life are interwoven
Jeanne Dunn
Outbound oil on canvas, 2007
Among my motives for painting this scene was how the situation struck me when I saw it. This woman's daily round consists of work, constant watchfulness, and incessant anticipation. In simplest terms, the mother goes out the door before the child. The woman knows what could happen. If she doesn't act fast, the child may run to the street, or be hungry or wet or tired, with a range of consequences if not addressed. For women, it is safety, one's own or another's, that's usually the gut response to every situation, followed by a fast plan to act on the necessity of the moment. For men, I think the primordial response is either to evaluate the extent of their power in the circumstance, or to form a quick strategy for their next move. Where men seldom consider whether they are in danger, women think about the possibility all the time.
I am interested in the safe space we all want to see women and children inhabit.
Amy Paul
Divided acrylic and mixed media on wood, 2009
Divided, a self-portrait, refers to the fracturing of my public and private life. It only begins to describe the many roles I play day in and out: teacher, artist, mother, wife, lover, daughter, friend, small business owner and community volunteer. This multiplicity and the expectation I place on myself to satisfy each role leaves me fractured. In this light, the opportunities afforded to me, the twentieth century woman, are both a privilege and a curse. I see it in my mother and grandmother before that, and I experience it in my own life. At times, I am only held together by the fragile tension of the proverbial string
Michele Guieu
Fatima (A Blanket for Michel) woven blanket (cotton), 2009
I met Fatima in 2009 at the park in my neighborhood. She is a fellow immigrant and comes from Ankara, Turkey. Like me, one of the reasons she likes California is because it reminds her of her native country’s weather. She is a California woman, and like many others she is coming from far away, living here for a while, may be forever. Each time I meet an immigrant, I am always curious to know what made her or him leave their country, although I never ask the question. But the fact that they come from abroad always echoes in me.
Here are the notes I took just after our conversation at the park:
I am at the park with the kids. I am taking pictures. A woman that I did not see coming says to me: "Take me picture!" I see her, a smiling woman. "Hi! You want me to take a picture of you?" "Yes, take me picture!" "Ok!" "For my daughter. I am Fatima. Me from Ankara, Turkey. Turkey, Istanbul. You know Ankara? "No, I've never been there." "Beautiful. San Diego beautiful too. I love San Diego. My son in Utah, very cold. Very cold. Him not happy. too cold." "How long have you lived here?" "Ten years. And you? You from...?" "France, I live here now. I arrived in San Diego 4 years ago." "Hooo, France beautiful too! Tickets too expensive to go there. Me not see my family in Ankara." "My mother is coming to visit soon." "Very good! You lucky. We can take the picture now. Here." "OK." I take a photo, and another one. "Good, good, that's good." "How will I give you the print?" "Me come every day." "OK, I will leave an envelope at the office of the recreation center for you, Fatima, with your name on the envelope." "Good, good, you kind, very kind." "Maybe I will see you around but I prefer to leave the photo at the office because I do not come very often to this park these days." "Good. Your name?" "Michele." "Oh, Michele! My son is Michel! Michele, Michel, beautiful! Me go now. Bye Bye. Thank you." "Bye Bye Fatima." Fatima puts her hand on her heart, says something (I do not understand), and leaves, still smiling.
Misty Hawkins
Surfacing various watermedia, oil pastel, 2010
My point of view in portraying women is influenced by many personal and cultural factors, a primary one being my mother who moved with ease between various roles, expressing an earthy sexuality as well as the modern independence of a working woman. She was a hairstylist and salon owner playing with the illusion of glamour. I saw my southern Californian culture in contrast to her southern, country Texan upbringing. She frequently changed her image with cosmetics and fashion, emulating popular trends and the dynamic women we watched on television. With humor she often used exaggerated womanly gestures and a falsetto speaking voice. As cancer ravaged her body, she didn't depend on the outer forms for her sense of self and she maintained an inner feminine radiant beauty.
By his example, my father gave me an early understanding of what is referred to as "the male gaze," a way of objectifying women, which I absorbed into my psyche. As a little girl, I had access to his Playboy magazines and other pornography. These pictures struck me as strange, the women's poses were cold, and overly self-conscious. I learned something about the erotic fixation in looking at an image over and over again. Art history also has a load of pictorial conventions, made by mostly male artists, depicting a woman's body—it elevates modes of seeing to an aesthetic, artistic value.
I believe the way women see other women is in part influenced by the ways men see us—but it encompasses more. We have different needs, desires and experiences relating to women and the feminine. The women in my paintings sometimes appear nude, calling attention to their sexual allure, a quality I respect and celebrate. For me nudity is also a metaphor for a revelation of intimate feelings and identity, alternating with the suggestion of mystery about parts of the self that are not revealed. The naked body presents conflicts between physical ideals and the so-called imperfections of an individual woman; the tension between the experience of sensual pleasure and dangers of sexuality imposed by repression and abuse of the body
Maura McHugh
It's Just Sex pen & hot glue on paper, 2009
“Who made up the categories of male and female and why? What is the difference between sex and gender? What is institutional heterosexuality? Does sex have a history? Does each sex have a different history? How was the duality of sex established?”
Questions from the book Gender Trouble by Judith Butle
Marcela Villasenor
Quinceañera Detrás de la Reja (Sweet-Sixteen Behind the Fence) mixed media, 2009
The contrast between Tijuana, one of the poorest cities in Mexico, and San Diego provokes a strong desire in so many Tijuana women to cross the border and live forever the “American dream.” As an immigrant who has been living in San Diego for so many years, I can understand why.
In the series Quinceañera (Sweet Sixteen) I captured a quinceañera from the other side of the fence.
She is preparing herself for a picture to remember her celebration.
San Diego is going to be the background of her photograph.
She is standing on Tijuana soil and she can cross the border only with her sight.
But when I see the girl my mind brings back the hundreds of women that have died by crossing the border illegally with the only desire to live the American dream.
[Artists]
Ginger Rosser, Daphne Hill, Irene Abraham, Therese Rossi, Anna Stump, Jocelyn Duke, Jeanne Dunn, Amy Paul, Michele Guieu, Misty Hawkins, Maura McHugh, Marcela Villasenor
