CPS All-City Visual Arts Exhibitions

Teacher Name: Whitney Bradshaw
Grade: Senior

Materials: Canon Rebel T6i, Barbie Doll, Fake Blood
Dimensions: 13×19 in
Description: Through the use of still life photography, I represented societal ideals of beauty regarding women. Women are constantly being looked at and instructed by society to look a certain way. One of the ways society creates these beauty standards is through Barbie dolls. Barbies portray physical “perfection”. They are usually white, skinny, blonde, and have a full face of makeup. I wanted to depict these ideals and subvert them in order to show that women shouldn’t change for anyone or be a certain way and are beautiful the way they are. In this photograph, I am “killing” the idea of Barbie.

Artist Statement: My creative work includes many forms of art. Through the use of photography, performance, video, and sculpture I depict concepts that I resonate with most. The concepts I portray in my work fluctuate often in regards to my experiences and inspirations during a period of time in my life. My current work involves themes of mental health, identity, healing, and femininity. I believe concepts are a prominent aspect of my work, as I spend most of my creative process thinking about the meaning behind each piece I create. As an artist who creates work about meaningful yet intense concepts, a lot of it may be unsettling to view or discuss. This is a completely intentional reaction I seek from the audience, as my concepts are the reality of life. They are to remind the viewer of their humanity.

In the photos “Womanhood” and “She let herself go”, I explore my thoughts on societal ideals of beauty regarding women in an attempt to subvert them as they are so damaging. Women are constantly being looked at and instructed by society to look a certain way and it is something I have always disagreed with, especially since it is mostly men who try to define what a woman is. These concepts are all so valuable to me as I have experienced them on a day to day basis. Being a mentally ill woman in a twisted society is so frustrating and I try to exemplify what that is like through my work.

In the piece “A Fading Blue”, I explore death and meaning in relation to my experience with my father passing away when I was very young. It is a commemorative piece that depicts meaningful objects that help me keep his memory alive.