In Goucher College’s new art exhibit Femme, nine female artists—Alana Beall, Allana Clarke, Donna Feldman Lasky, Claire Girodie, Marilyn Gomez, Lauren Kalman, Judith Peck, Maggie Schneider, and Sandylee Triolo—explore various aspects of womanhood. The diverse works in this exhibition portray much more than the beautiful female form; they delve into the psyche, the personal, and the political.
The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, runs in Silber Art Gallery in the Athenaeum on Goucher’s campus, from Tuesday, February 4, to Sunday, March 9. The art can be viewed Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. An artists’ reception will be held Thursday, February 6, 6-9 p.m., with an artists’ talk at 7:30 p.m. in the Silber Art Gallery. Call 410-337-6477 or visit www.goucher.edu/silber for more information.
Through video, painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, photography, and performance these artists give the viewer a glimpse, from their perspective, of what it means to be female within the current social climate.
Alana Beall’s photographic series The Darlings is a reinvention of past myths told through portraits of 12 little girls that explore a diverse cast of heroines, inspirational women, and powerful female figures. Through the use of cryptic sets and costumes, she brings these photographic stories to life.
Born of Caribbean descent but living and absorbing American cultural identities, Allana Clarke creates work that explores her transcultural experiences. Using a multitude of media, ranging from performance, video, installation, and photography, she uses her body as an object of manipulation.
Donna Feldman Lasky is passionate about her work shooting artistic nudes and enjoys working with those who take it just as seriously. Photography is her full-time job, and every shoot allows Feldman Lasky the opportunity to take the simplicity of the female form and put it out there the way she sees it. Her fascination with the perfection of the female figure pushes her to better herself.
In Claire Girodie’s works, she explores the unspoken with quiet poses, expressive physical marks, and discretely incorporated texts, revealing a secretly kept reality—feelings hidden in today’s socially correct environment. With paper, linen, ink, or thread, Girodie’s drawings evoke landscapes, figures, and calligraphies, occasionally escaping their two-dimensional forms to become sculptures and installations.
Marilyn Gomez is a performance, installation, sculpture, and video artist. She often uses her own body and the participation of others to create visual pieces. Her work centers around the themes of gender, psychology, and multiculturalism, and as a Hispanic female with bipolar disorder, Gomez tries to share her experience with others through her art.
Lauren Kalman combines grotesque or undesirable aspects of the body and objects associated with beauty. She points to the ideal feminine form by referencing consumer objects and cosmetics. In Certainly Red, the application of red lipstick—a marker of constructed feminine beauty—is repeatedly applied to the lips until the entire tube is emptied, caking beyond the lips and coating the teeth.
Judith Peck’s paintings portray women with psychological depth, illustrating how they have overcome being broken and coming from a broken world. Resilient and unaffected, these individuals are proof that it is possible to remain unbowed by summoning great strength and self-distinction. She hopes that the sense of shared humanity will move the viewer out of complacency.
Maggie Schneider, a Baltimore-based artist, investigates trigger responses to body- and performance-based work. Narcissus.Self.Portrait is an installation and a live performance. Schneider will stand in front of a mirror gazing at her reflection. By allowing others to watch this very personal act, she offers an invitation for the viewers to investigate what they see when they look in the mirror. Performances will occur during the opening reception and 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, February 15; Friday, February 21; Saturday, March 1; and Friday, March 7.
Sandylee Triolo’s video installation W.F.E.M is a time capsule of sorts, a collection of visual messages about and sometimes for women, some meant to manipulate them, some to liberate them, but all of them meant to affect them. It is an exploration of broadcast television and media, spanning several decades. It is driven by the artist’s personal experience of growing up female with these images and messages.