Galleries

Fem-Fragments examines a group of women artists who explore and dissect the historical and current understandings of femininity. While discovering the nuances imbedded in gender norms, these six artists break down our typical perceptions through fragmented representations. Through these fragmentations we are called to question our preconceived notions of femininity, from ideas based on a woman’s appearance to the roles they are traditionally understood to have.

Capucine Bourcart’s panels of finely stitched photographs are apart of a series called Haute Couture, where digital images of different neighborhoods in New York City and are quilted together to become the clothes of that area. She joins a traditional feminine practice with one of the more contemporary forms of art-making to reflect on the city its appearance. Also exploring photography as her medium, Aisha Jemila Daniels’s self-portrait series Acceptance examines an internal evaluation; as she floats in a blank space our attention is focused on her clothes, her body, and her submerged face of flowers. These black and white images asks us to look at her as a whole—the concealment and exposition of her body, the heritage bonded to her dress, and the strength in her poses—and not just her face, as we so often do when we evaluate a woman.

Focusing on perceptions of beauty as a status symbol, Mira Gandy uses images of glamorous black women from vintage beauty advertisements. Through a breakdown of collage and painting, she is interested in the consistent signifiers that determine a woman’s beauty. She examines these signifiers (in particular hair type and skin complexion) through the lens of race, attempting to comprehend the desires of both races wanting to look more like the other. Similar to Gandy, Gail Skudera uses antique black and white photographs, yet it is combined with patterned weaving. Her woven photo collages brings craft to the forefront, as we examine her layered female subjects that float through each stitch, becoming more apparent while remaining hidden.

Camille Eskell incorporates trauma through her truncated mannequins and various sculptures of female body parts to question social and cultural expectations surrounding the figure. This beautifully damaged parts, transformed by their natural tattoos and collaged garments, undermines the integrity of form to challenge assumptions about appearance and how it interacts with reality. Michaela Pilar Brown also strives to challenge normative understandings of the body and how it functions in specific spaces and environments. As seen in her works on paper, the body is broken down and joined with other familiar objects to combat mythologies about the female figure.

The Opening Reception will take place Sunday, January 8^th from 4-6pm. In conjunction with Fem-Fragments there will be an artist talk with the artists and curators on Sunday, January 29^th from 4-6pm. For further information about this exhibition please contact charlotte@rushartsgallery.org or via phone 845-480-1258.