Female Hysteria
Female Hysteria, 2022, Cyanotype
This collection of work explores the abstracted emotions felt in my feminine body. I feel ashamed and claustrophobic. It often doesn’t feel like my own, and instead is at the hands of others' opinions and laws. It has been difficult to understand these feelings surrounding my body and these images are a way to express and deal with them. Even as a little girl, I quickly became aware of my body and how others were going to view it, realizing that women’s bodies are constantly put on display and scrutinized. From then on there was a persistent pressure as if I was under a magnifying glass being picked apart by others. The fear and pressure to look a certain way that kept me from a lot of opportunities. Instead of allowing myself to express freely, there is a constant routine to look my best and put on a smile. For years I have spent time hiding myself and my body and now I wish to release this weight through imagery.
These images were created by using a copy machine to scan different parts of the body and then turned into a cyanotype print. The process of using a scanner to see every pore and flaw in the skin is quite vulnerable. Instead of highlighting the imperfections they secede under the inherent qualities of the cyanotype. Cyanotypes blur details and abstract figures which translate the emotions in a subtle way. My goal with these images is to lose control of the perception of my body and instead use it to convey the emotions I feel as a woman. Insecurity, disorientation, anger, perfectionism, vulnerability, disgust, and melancholy are a few of these. There are more important things in life than how one looks on the outside, and I wish to come to that conclusion.
Featured in:
(2023) Coalescence, Noorda Gallery, Orem, UT
Inside the Gallery-
