2017  •  25 x 42"  Show size

Acrylic and spray paint on canvas

This pieces is part of a 22 painting series I created for my MFA thesis in 2017. The abstraction in this series is effected through symbolic gestures, distinctive lines, and organic forms on canvas. This work both documents and engages with the everyday encounters, struggles and social injustices faced by women. I use abstraction to discuss and highlight these issues; the symbolic nature of each painting is meant to echo the struggles of all women who have ever been oppressed, as well as to add my own distinctive voice to this collective, ongoing struggle. This painting, "Sexual Pleasure" is highlighting the empowerment of women through the value of sexual pleasure. It is particularly poignant today as we witness the minimization of a woman's autonomy over her own body and limitation of supportive resources. In this project, I make special use of the historical and allegorical components of Tarot in order to frame a particular narrative in direct response to the political and social climate for women under the Trump Administration years. While I strive to give voice to women generally, each painting in my MFA thesis is ultimately rooted in and responds to my own experiences as a young American woman having lived during the Trump Administration.