Student Art Show: Acceptance and Liberation in Womanhood
Vianne De Santiago March 12th, 2024
On March 12th at the Witt Gallery on Sacramento State's campus, the reception for Acceptance and Liberation in Womanhood curarted by Alison Beck took place. The show featured Alison Beck, Mia Hill, Stefani Figueroa, and Solana Torres-Pepito, and their exploration and experiences that come with being a woman.
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I have class with Alison Beck and Solana Torres-Pepito, so I was excited to see their works featured in such a powerful show. The show pulls you in, guiding you through maternity/motherhood, teenage adolescene, and young woman experiences. I have seen the progression of Solana's work since last Fall semester 2023, and her exeperience with having an aborition. Her work displayed at the exhibit, conducted a vulnerable story with her expressions towards her abortion. Her first work, Original Sin, 2023 depicts a vagina in a rigarus way. I see through this piece the story of being vunerable but defensive at the same time. The harsh lines and sharp edges show there is still a boundary put between the viewer and the vagina.
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In her work, Princess Bunny At Heart, 2023 though we are given vulernability in another way. The vuleranbility conveyed here as brought through soft colors and loving animals. It conveys vulernability in a way that is not shown unless someone trusts you enough to let you in. Solana expresses how much she loves bunnies and includes them in her works frequently. In this piece, the bunny helps express the softness and tenderness Solana wants to convey. Along with her soft lines and delicate placement of her composition. The work to me expresses how all women were once girls, and at times still feel like the young girl inside of us.
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Moving to Alison Beck's work, her work explores the relationship women had to motherhood and uses the juxtaposition of how other living creatures, like parasties, convey their form of motherhood. In her work, Nursing Time!, 2023 we are given a composition with a close-up of a parasite's mouth. In the background we have stars and a moon like what would be seen above a baby's crib. When I look at this piece, I can see the commentary Alison conveys as babies almost suck on their mother's for nurtrients like a parasite. For most mothers too it can be difficult or painful to breast feed.
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One of her other works featured in the exhibit that caught my attention was, Check-Up, 2023. This work depicts a women on the edge of an examination bed, waiting for her check-up. When I first saw this piece, I was instantly drawn to the work as I could see myself reflected in this work. To me the work gives off somewhat of an eery vibe as there is no color and no face. We are just given the legs and the covering of the nude body. Her choice of medium was charcoal and the use of it helps elevate the piece to become a more personal moment. Getting heath check-ups as you get older become more intimdating and Alison does a great job conveying this.
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Acceptance and Liberation of Womanhood displayes the jouneries and experiences with being a woman beautifully. The artist display their vunerable experiences that come with being a woman, and how it impacted them. The intersectionalities of the artists allow for variety of stories that viewers and learn from and relate to.
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Hi Vianne,
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing and thought-provoking show! I am so bummed that I missed seeing this. The works you selected are an interesting balance of disturbing and captivating. We've talked about "seductive contradictions" in class, and I think that term really applies here. With Alison Beck's "Nursing Time!" I am drawn to the work because of the vivid colors and cute star shapes, but then repulsed because of the toothy creature.
These works do capture the anxieties one experiences as a woman, and I think any woman who walked into the exhibition would find several works that they really resonate with.
I loved this show and I was sad it had to run for such a short time. I was inspired and in awe of the vulnerability shown by these women artists. The female experience is personal and precious yet universal. The expectations set on us by society are often pushing and pulling us to be perfect yet humble. Women experience pain and trauma that is often overlooked, and I thank these women for shedding some light on their own.
ReplyDeleteThis sounded like a very interesting, emotional, and impactful show! After reading through your post and looking at all the photos you included, I am sad that I missed it. The work entitled "Check Up" was particularly interesting to me as it evoked memories of routine and clinical doctor's appointments that I, as well as likely many others, have experienced in our lives.
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