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Artist Statement:

As an artist and educator, I share in the vision of artist Miriam Shapiro of the long-range influence of feminism on modern art:

…if women commit themselves to the feminist education of men…if they name and affirm their own creativity, if they refuse to see themselves as the second sex, if they sustain the progress toward gender equity, then it is a certainty that feminism will continue to affect art as well as life. Feminism is the philosophy that will facilitate the changes that are needed – in relationships between men and women, and in the struggle between the powerful and the powerless (Broude, Garrard 1994, p. 83).

Shapiro’s words inspire me to create art which provokes men and women to question the prevailing roles of women as portrayed in our media saturated society. Artistic imagery becomes an antithesis of the culturally dominate icons to which we are exposed. I create alternative icons to counteract the affects of consumer oriented, commodity based imagery.

The canvas edges are extended with coarse pumice gels. My harvested amrita fluid, acrylic paint and pumice are layered with a palette knife to achieve an aged textural surface. To return my amrita fluid to my paintings allows me to integrate my sexuality and creativity, thus reclaiming my sexual experience as a true symbol of my creativity. This conscious and deliberate act quietly challenges the notion of male sexual pleasure as the ultimate achievement, which I perceive as the single most significant contributor to the imbalance in heterosexual relationships and the subsequent impediment of satisfying, mutual nurturing.


©2004 - 2005 Denyse Marie Wilhelm - Spadixarts - All Rights Reserved