Dressed

Artist Statement

This collection of expressionistic portraits explores contemporary gender identity and how it conflicts with traditional gender role expectations. The loose and washy faces are juxtaposed with stark, orderly clothing that seem to constrain the wearer much like societal and cultural expectations constrain an individual. Some of the portraits are purposefully androgynous, calling attention to our innate obsession to categorize the people we come across into ‘he’ and ‘she’ and attach our own personal definitions of who ‘he’ or ‘she’ is. The collars, buttons, and ties collaged from handmade and Asian papers, hold the subject in and confine them to play the roles expected of them. However, their fluid facial expressions hint at an underlying rebellion and clutch on a more aqueous concept of gender.