Rhonda Schaller Studio

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

Who Wants to be a Feminist?
Kathy Slamen, Kate Hansen, Kelly M. Nelson, Mare Vaccaro , Ayseef, Jennifer Murray, Jean Rim, Molly Peters , Kate Citrin, Ginny Baughman, Carol Koffel, Elizabeth Pacentrilli

Throughout the feminist movement we have seen a reclaiming of the “male gaze” by feminist artists, using self-reflection and body image to comment on ourselves, aspects of society and what we value. This exhibition explores this diversity in identity centered art.

The idea of creating a complete scenario for each image, placing myself in the center of an imaginary story, using props, lighting, my own body movements to convey what words could not was an exercise in communication - a different language in a different medium. Let the adventures begin.

This figure is an icon of female heartbreak. It would seem that the larger jaw bone should make the figure more powerful and foreboding, but there is a blind quality to this anger. The larger jaw makes the figure unable to speak, and results in a kind of vocal impotence.

Identity of self and others is a fluid, complex and dynamic human construct involving relationships, culture, distance and time. My work is an interpretation of sociotypes as well as my chosen identity of self and family for display. The variety of marks and at times the employment of unorthodox materials convey individual differences, societal interpretations and extensive distances, the latter most being a self-chosen barrier.

I have alopecia universalis, which is a genetic miscoded medical condition that renders my body completely hairless. In the absence of a created persona I am a blank canvas. I am using the deconstructed female form to question what is real, what is persona, and whether femininity can be redefined.

In my artwork I explore alternative interpretations of objects through the use of relationships, contrast, and duality. Major themes in my work include questioning the traditional meaning of items and challenging the concept of “waste”.

In keeping with the ambiguity of purpose that is so critical to my values as an artist I employ a metaphorical language to communicate personal experiences, struggles, desires, and dreams. When the image is removed from its literal, social, or cultural meaning, it enters the symbolic meaning, and our interpretation of that meaning is a reflection of ourselves.

When I was young my mother used comic books as a method of teaching English and Korean to my brother and me. As a result, my work is strongly influenced by anime and comic book illustrators. My current body of work explores and confronts societal assumptions and personal experiences growing up as a Korean-American woman. My imagery is a way of conflating the opposing sides of my identity.

I use adventures, dark comedy, and dynamic confusion to express a scenario. The concept starts as subjects unknowingly participating in a photograph, which is then sculpted to an idea of alternate linear illustrations.

The feminine role has changed dramatically in the last century. The Woman Series named in homage to Willem de Kooning’s Women paintings, uses rough self-portraits to display the unease the artist has with her own personality.

I want to create women in my art who show feminine issues literally on their bodies. My ideas about femininity flow through the bodies of the women that I create and develop as I work, as if they are speaking through me directly to the viewer.

This series embraces the deeply feminine and her quiet acceptance of self. If we shelter our heart with armor, can we be loved? Is it possible to summon the muse, if we lose a breast to cancer? Is it just the virginal heart that can nurture? These breast prints reflect my inner spirit while facilitating an outer vision.

Cosmetic Appeal is a series of self-portraits created entirely with beauty products. Utilizing a medium created to conceal, I reveal an awareness of female sexuality and power possessed by confident women. Most women rely on physical appearance to manipulate and attract men, but it is a self-confident woman that possesses true power.

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