mold-saic

Abstract

Artist's statement: "This piece takes a more literal approach to biology through a realistic depiction of mold, while still maintaining bodily themes through the red mandala pattern that emerges along the perimeter of the piece. While this pattern could have been more explicit, it does combine domestic themes with biology more effectively than the preceding piece ‘bodily wallpaper’. This piece was inspired by my last piece, some petri-dish artwork that I’ve been interested in for a while now from pinterest, and Islamic mosaics that I’m studying. I wanted to revisit the idea from my last piece that bodily and feminine pattern could fuse in a way that feels disjointed and unsettling while still being visually pleasing. I feel like the realistic nature of the mold helps to show this point, especially as the piece is displayed against a water damaged wall, helping to create a tension between real world grossness, created grossness, and beauty. I really liked the idea of a mosaic in this piece and I really want to explore more ‘real-world’ patterns, as well as this element of realism in the figures I make."

This is a digital photograph of Malerie McDowell's painting. It was submitted as an assignment in the spring 2016 Intermediate/Advanced Painting class taught by Professor Erin Harmon.