a feminist perspective

I am grateful to have been selected for a commission from the Aberdeen Art Gallery.  For this project, I am exploring the theme of female identity and intersectionality within the AAGM collection through inspiration from female figure drawings and paintings as well as contemporary interpretations of the female experience. This will look at images of women’s work, such as harvesting or caring for others. An example of this is The Mussel Gatherers by Robert McGregor which speaks historically to women’s hardships and the multidimensionality of working and caring for a family. Also I will look at contemporary art as well, such as Barbara Hepworth’s Meditation. This round sculpture with a circle on top can be interpreted as a sensual representation of the female form with the inscribed circle representing the human touch or a mark of identity. 

These works speak to the feminine in their natural, contemplative means of realisation, but also allude to the idea of feminist activism and the female role in society. I identify with this as a woman, a wife and a mother, but also as a nascent feminist activist. So, I will be looking for pieces in the Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums collection that I respond to, be that in their representation of the female experience or in what I may interpret as a feminine aesthetic. I look forward to sharing my research and development here.

The above pastel sketches are an exploration into colours loosely derived from the suffragette movement and contemporary feminist artists.