Rhonda Schaller Studio

Projects Room Gallery 1
Feminist thought, Feminist movement -- curated project series

Love Scenes: Erotica, Romance and Other Objects of Desire
Elan Bogarin, Vera Costa, Ignatius Widiapradja

We are pleased to present three artists who depict the “scene” of love, its ideals, and touchstones in very different ways. We are delighted to present this wonderful collection of sensual imagery. Seen together, they each entice us - with reality, with fantasy, and the places in between. Each artist presents a unique voice within the landscape of sensual life. We are delighted to present this comparison of Feminist perspectives.

Rhonda Schaller

One attraction of my work is its organic theme and its concept of opposites - internal/external, body/spirit, human/universal energies. These organic forms are positioned outside of a body, seeming to float in space, or they are presented as if seen through a microscope lens.

The circle/oval forms represent beginning and end, infinite and eternal. The red color symbolizes life force, the energy coursing through the body, physicality.

I am always inspired by the human body, the inside and outside view of that and the transient cycle of life... (VC)

In the series 'Real,' I document women's faces during masturbation. What does the average woman look like in this intensely personal act? Can sexuality be portrayed ambiguously? How do people react to a 'normal' woman engaging in a sexual act? Does sex always have to be sexy?

Representations of women in popular media lead you to believe that the public has unadulterated access to the American female. The barrage of images, bare flesh, and open body language make us think we know this idealized woman. We falsely believe that since ‘she’ is ubiquitous, it means that ‘she’ represents all females.

Clichés often result from the deep confusion, even crisis, surrounding women's bodies/self image. Beauty is discussed so often that circles of women end up repeating the same complaints and tired 'we should love our body' mantras. However, despite women craving to embrace an alternative standard of beauty (which would allow them to embrace themselves), most women cannot lose that nagging thought that says, 'who am I kidding? I'm no model.'

The aim of my work is not to teach all women that they are indeed beautiful. It is to create images that acknowledge the existence of the diversity of women and to address the fact that as a society, we are accustomed to only accepting images that look a certain way.

One woman I photographed summed up the problem well: “My boyfriend took a photo of me naked and was revolted, but he tells me he finds me sexy almost every night. He couldn't stand the photo because as a photo, he said 'I don't look right.'

How is it that we can accept (and love/desire) 'real' women in everyday life but not in images? Given that ‘real’ woman are compared on a daily basis to an idealized woman, I seek to use photography to create work that will question how we represent and view women in images. (EB)

For purchase availability please contact Rhonda Schaller, Gallery Director, Tel 212 967 1338 or info@rhondaschallerchelsea.com.