Maddie Hanson
719-930-0645
沈乐
Artist’s Statement
Women: The Unseen is a body of work that focuses on social and institutional injustices that women face in today’s society, everything from unequal job treatment, street cat calls, to sexual and physical abuse. The fuel behind this work is knowing that even in today’s progressive culture and awareness of gender inequality, many still treat these injustices with the silence and secrecy from 50 years ago. My inspiration comes from the stories of women whom I have met through friendly conversation, as well as the influence of the media and its portrayal of women in many different media outlets. I noticed that all women, regardless of ethnicity, religion, class or sexuality have faced similar injustices despite their demographic differences. The intersection that brings these different yet similar injustices comes from being a woman. I do not fit normal gender roles, which has given me the perspective as an outsider. So as a self-identifying woman this body of work allows me to get in touch with my own identity, through these women’s experiences. This work explores the human condition individually, societally and as a minority; women’s experiences have one thing in common, injustice.
My process is unconventional; I brush on liquid emulsion on watercolor paper and dip emulsion onto light bulbs, then expose and develop photographs onto the objects using traditional darkroom practices. In using this alternative process, the material’s unpredictability presents a raw and handmade aesthetic. Two images are presented for each woman’s story, a portrait of the woman’s face and one of her torso displaying a body gesture. Alongside the portrait of the woman’s body gesture, their own personal writing of their experience is written below the photograph. A range of experiences, from many different backgrounds and demographics are represented in each woman’s image and story. Together the pieces are combined into an installation involving a basic circuit connecting sixteen sockets that light up the light bulbs.While the bulbs are in the electrical circuit, the watercolor prints are pinned behind its corresponding lightbulb portrait. The light bulbs and watercolor prints rely on one another to show each woman’s individual story. This combination of both portrait, gesture and personal writing lends an intimate insight into these women’s lives. In this interdisciplinary project I aim to bring to light the social issues still faced by women that people stay silent about, ignore or are unaware of.