Right Lung, Left Lung
Acrylic, print transfer, mixed media, collage. 8x8”.
This work was inspired by a Victorian graphic illustrating the internal harm that can be caused by wearing a corset--a restrictive undergarment women have traditionally worn to shape the waist and body into an “hourglass” figure.
The woman on the right not only has an unnaturally pinched waist, but in a further attempt to show her striving for societal beauty standards, her hair has been elaborately coiled and pinned into a fanciful arrangement.
In contrast the woman on the left has a more natural body shape, with room for her internal organs and a much simpler up do.
This image could be read as a contrast between a low and high maintenance woman, as the original image intended. A very straightforward and shallow message.
But I have created identical stars in both their breasts and a beating heart between them depicting the same star. I view them as connected even while they pursue their lives in different manners--even while facing different directions. Their hands, just off canvas, might be grasped. The heart beats between them, saying, “We are the same, We are connected.”