Y13 Exhibition

Sam

Stitched Together

This artwork is an ode to the many relationships I’ve had with people throughout my life, and how those relationships have further complicated themselves as I and everyone else grows older. For this work, I used increasingly complex crochet stitches to represent my increasingly complex relationships as I got older. The background colour also darkens near the end of the timeline, when communication becomes unpredictable whilst also including photographs outlined with white to represent the pure nature of those relationships.

01/08

02/08

Psycho Crazy B****

This artwork is a satire of the crazy ex-girlfriend stereotype. Through channelling my own anger towards ex-partners having portrayed me as a “crazy-ex” I, instead of becoming a real crazy ex, used it in this artwork to make light of the situation and show the overall humour and sexism in the crazy ex-girlfriend trope. I wanted to comment on the unrealistic trope of an ex-girlfriend, and therefore intended to make the work appear as if it were a fictional book cover.

Bittersweet

This artwork is about the bittersweet quality of love, and how it can be so beautiful yet depressing simultaneously. The figure on the right could be smiling with a loving gaze or depressed. For this work I used the Renaissance Master technique in order to do an underpainting, and various glaze and scumble layers of oil paints in order to create smooth and blended colours. I wanted a soft feel to this work, as I was being vulnerable about my own connection with love.

03/08

04/08 (click above to explore)

For Her

This artwork is dedicated to my younger self, who thought she’d never have many friends due to being too “weird”. This work is to show her she wasn’t the problem, she just hadn’t found her people yet. I used many sentimental items to myself in this work to represent specific elements that I can imagine my younger self would’ve enjoyed, and included previous predictions I had made as a child about who I would be today. I want her to know she will be okay.

How to be a woman

Women are typically viewed through the men they are related to, which locks them into unfortunate stereotypes. This work displays the way many women who are pressured to choose one of these stereotypes don't fit into just one or any of them and how women have a deeper individuality than simply which male they're related to or which stereotypes they fit into. I have portrayed this work in a video game format, to comment on the far-fetched nature of sexist stereotypes, and including the breaking of the game’s code to represent breaking free of sexist societal standards.

05/08 (click above to explore)

06/08

Black Widow

This artwork is about my own experience with sexual assault. The base dress was part of the outfit I had been assaulted in, so I decided to reuse that and create something new. I used the black widow spider as a symbol of my power and survival, as the female version of this spider kills the male after mating, and therefore I am relating myself to this spider after being violated sexually, and taking back the power to “kill” my attacker so that memory cannot hurt me anymore.

Is this what you think of me?

This artwork is about my relationship with people online. Many of these messages are from people I know in real life, however, they would never say some of these things to me in person. The gaze to them begs for an answer to the question in the title. I included glitches in this work not only as a nod to my work How to Be a Woman but also to represent the way that technology has allowed many people to send vile messages to others in secret, which is now glitching as I expose these messages publicly.

07/08

08/08

Doing the best I can

This artwork is about picking up the pieces after being broken down and doing your best with what you’ve got, despite not fitting in to expectations placed on you. The house represents my mind. The broken plates are parts of my memory and personality that have been broken or damaged over time. Many of the items inside the house hold sentimental value for me. Such as the book “Smile”, as this was an incredibly important book for me growing up. The work overall represents how I am content and living the best I can despite the damage that has been caused.