FEMMEPHILIA

Curated by Marley C. Smit

Artists: Natalie Baxter, Anna Cone, Jen Dwyer, Qinza Najm, Alison Stinely, Frances Wertimer

January 2020

FEMMEPHILIA i​ s a group exhibition of artists whose work envisions femininity as a source of power and community, rather than the image of frailty and frivolity that patriarchal culture paints of the feminine. The aim of ​FEMMEPHILIA ​is two-fold: first, to create a space for femmes of all gender identities to feel seen and celebrated. Second, ​FEMMEPHILIA ​aims to create a space in which people who have internalized femmephobia will be confronted with the celebration of femininity displayed in the artwork and implored to reassess their attitudes towards all things femme.

Natalie Baxter’s soft sculptures reimagine charged objects like guns and flags as playfully inert items, removed from their political capacities. Anna Cone digitally collages contemporary women into art historical paintings, inserting imagery of powerful women into western art history. Jen Dwyer’s delicate ceramic works explore themes of girlhood through neo-baroque aesthetics. Qinza Najm uses the female figure to explore her identity as a Pakistani-American woman. Alison Stinely’s colorful paintings and sculptures present soft representations of male figures, as alternatives to the hyper-masculine and patriarchal identity pushed onto men. Frances Wertimer uses feline symbolism and surreal landscapes to evoke dreamlike figures; unburdened by social expectations.