that which binds
Invisible women wearing affluent clothing and donning metaphorical masks ask the viewer to reflect upon the nonsensical ways in which society restricts women, limiting their ability to thrive.
Inspired by the works of 20th century surrealist painters such as René Magritte, Leonora Carrington and Toyen, this body of work expresses the absurdity of female subjugation with surreal photographs that speak via the familiar visual languages of commercialism and cultural symbolism.
Modern visual language and metaphorical elements create the uncanniness of surrealism through the use of displacement and condensation, both essential elements of Freudian dream theory. The disconnect between what is seen and what is expected challenges the viewer to complete the puzzle of the image in order to find its meaning.
The masks hide the subjects’ identities, allowing the viewer the freedom to see them as anyone and providing the subjects the safety of anonymity. Through the use of cultural metaphor, each mask also identifies a specific type of subjugation.
