The gaze

When I began learning about modern art, it all began with the gaze + painting. It all began with the voice of the artist. I devoured the art history, written, by + for the art enthusiast, the art student, the art professional + the art world.

Then becomes the questioning everything mode. This was an achievement unlocked. I delved into the meta-data of the words I was contemplating. Whose were they?

Turns out; overwhelmingly - male painters, male critics, for maximum masculinity. The patriarchy had infiltrated every form of life + I was too busily learning to understand that book title does not equate to context, substance nor validity.

Turns out programmed learning is in full force + we need to worry about more than the gender pay gap.

The gaze becomes interesting to me when we centre the feminine. I need to be clear here + specific. The feminine gaze captured in art yes; yet also the feminine gaze in the audience, in the critique, in the management of, in the collaboration, in the care of, love and support of - not only the art itself - but the artist’s life.

When we centre queering perspectives + when we question every gaze that's been deemed ‘art’ + all the gazes that have been somehow captured, disseminated & are viewed & viewable in our global economy - what do we then begin to notice?

My practice truly colesced when I began interrogating every photomedia based gaze & the context of the circumstance of the subject presented to an audience.

I have a sturdy critique of the world I live in. Not fucking much is made with me in mind, and fucking less is made by & with the likes of me.

One truly positive I will add to that is…change is in the wind. Can you hear it too?