Reflective Contemplation

My femininity shows up in my artwork through my use of floral motifs and pink and purple color schemes. Feminine colors and associations are always something that I avoid in the form of self-expression, that is, anything from makeup to pink clothes. I have felt the need to go against the grain and not “conform” to this identity that was pushed onto me from an early age. My artwork tackles these discomforts and turns them into something I truly love and make peace with. Reflective Contemplation is specifically about the viewer relinquishing their vanity to gain or understand the meaning of the work. The viewer is not able to read the backward floral typeface until they stand off to one side of the mirror, completely eliminating themselves from the picture. I chose profane and intimate phrases in an extremely delightful and hyper-feminine way to offset the abrupt nature of these phrases, eliciting a delayed reaction from the viewer. I sculpted each of the flowers out of foam clay, which was a very labor-intensive process, rather than buying ready-mades. I chose to do this because it displays the labor and burden of feminine responsibilities that cannot be faked. It is literal work to be femme presenting because of the standards that society pushes, constantly expecting you to always meet them by not being overly emotional, but also not too cold, not being too nice, but also not being a bitch.
The profanity in the first phrase are my inner thoughts when people inquire about my life, asking as if I’m lacking something because I do not live up to who they want me to be, and are only thinking about themselves. The phrase is accompanied by a larger mirror since it’s a less intimate phrase, one that shows I am more okay with inviting people to that part of myself, unlike my personal statement phrase.
Being vulnerable has never been one of my strong suits, expressing my thoughts whether positive or negative. I have always feared the rejection and the relinquishment of power that comes with such a thing. For my second phrase I chose to do a personal statement, which is a much softer and less abrasive phrase than the one containing profanity. These are both phrases that I do not say very often and rather keep them inside, which is why the mirror is required to read them. My personal statement comes from the sheer fact that I could miss someone so much that it consumes my every thought, yet I will never tell them, because that would require vulnerability and would compromise my independence. By being vulnerable through this personal statement, it subjects me to the forced stereotype of a woman being overly emotional, which I reject in the same way I reject the forced stereotypes of makeup and pink clothes. This piece represents the balance of self-expression and stereotype and the labor finding that balance requires.