Elise Siegel
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I began developing a body of work derived from feminine articles of clothing in
the context of a heightened awareness, and discussion in the art world, of the
self as social construct. As well as giving my work more specific emotional
content, the use of clothing as imagery became a way for me to address the
politics and psychology of identity. It was a move toward the personal as well
as the political.
I began this series of Portraits in the spring of 1992, when the potential consequences of breast implant surgery first made front-page headlines and the evening news. It made me think about how our cultural fixation with physical appearance has grown more perverse and, in some cases, tragic. Certain parts of a woman's body, such as the breasts, have been fetishized, standing in for the complete woman, becoming her total identity. With the burgeoning of the cosmetic surgery industry, we no longer rely on foundation garments to change the way we look, but feel the need to surgically alter our physical selves. The line between clothing and actual body and skin has become blurred. |
© 1992, Elise Siegel |
© 1992, Elise Siegel |
| Portrait #3 | Portrait #4 |
