A meaningful conversation with female artists and creators.
IN CONVERSATION WITH...
We asked some of our In Conversation With... exhibiting artists, What is a meaningful conversation you've had that has inspired your work as a female artist?
Check out their responses below:
"I was once talking to my friend about how not just binary gender, but any concept of gender, is completely unimportant to who I am as a person. However I am unfortunately seen as a female and am treated "accordingly" when it comes to my work as an artist (belittled, discredited, etc.) which just makes me want to plaster my art everywhere even more."
"A male artist once told me that he believed most famous painters were male, and there were very few female artists, and the artistic style of female artists could be recognized at a glance. I have a different perspective. I believe that female artists can discover unique beauty, and the perspective we see is more unique. Perhaps more emotional, delicate, gentle, and romantic."
"As an artist who is personally influenced by her emotions and experiences I tend to look into artists that work around that same themes. One meaningful conversation I had with Mary Onidare was some years ago, she gave me some insight into how to be successful and relevant in the art world. She told me consistently, showing up for myself and promoting myself, she also told me to surround myself with like minded people. Which has been a great help for me. I took that advice and worked on it."
"I had a conversation recently about the importance of softness in relationship to the artistic practice. In embracing the yin, one has to soften...to open to the creative spirit and make space for inspiration to flood in. In our yang dominated society, where organization, speed and efficiency is prominently idolized, this feels counterintuitive. Yet, I've found that authentic creative momentum only arises for me when I'm able to sink into the timelessness and spaciousness of my femininity. This is where I've found true power in my work, and I aim to channel that energy through the flow of organic composition and natural feminine forms in my work. Mother earth in abstraction."
"Being a woman and creating work about my life, allows me to share the raw and vulnerable side of discovering parts of myself."
"I remember once having a conversation with a previous mentor of mine where she asked me what it meant for me, someone without children, to make the work about the body that I make. She graciously allowed me to explore this question through her experience as a mother and the conversations we shared about work with the female body, the implications and expectations of mothering, and just in general being a woman, led me into the conceptual area in which I work now. She gave me the confidence to pursue unadulterated work about motherhood, something I hadn't been encouraged to do by anyone else."
"As a woman born and raised in China, I understand the potential pressure to express yourself. Through years of therapy and conversations with myself, I began to rebuild my identity and self-esteem. A meaningful conversation I've had and inspired me is, as a female, we should self-love and self-respect instead of suppressing myself by following social norms, such as a good girl, wife, mother."
"A discussion on the growth and development of women, how they are inspired by other women and their surroundings to do well for themselves, what it takes to become more outspoken and modest."
"A female painter friend encouraged me to embrace beauty in my work and not to be afraid that it makes my paintings less serious. I have used that advice to explore more fully the concept of beauty, the various ways it can be interpreted, and what it means when I am working with the female figure."
"I taught my daughter to speak her mind, be mindful in how she treats others and herself, and to stand for what she believes in. I taught her to be a feminist. As she grew up, we had many conversations about these lessons and as time passed, she taught me a lot more than I taught her."
