Artist Statement

I created these artworks by taking pictures of volunteers and then uploading it to my drawing platform, Clip Studio Paint to sketch around them. Using this sketch, I then go to a new layer, fill in the background colour, and paint over the background and the sketch.

My artworks deal with the idea of discomfort and bigotry in the dance industry. I spent the first half of my life involved in ballet and calisthenics and due to my weight and general appearance I was discriminated against and excluded. As a young child, this really harmed my perception of myself and my self-esteem. I also often felt uncomfortable having to come in physical contact with other girls to do dances due to my sensory issues, as well as the level of makeup I witnessed the other girls wear even though they were very young. The big idea behind my artwork is to portray the harm which can come from the dance industry, and the ideas perpetuated by toxic beauty standards. The inspiration for my pieces was the works of Edgar Degas and Yinka Shonibare, with Degas’s portrayal of the dancer and Shonibare’s ability to remove and add certain details to a figure and environment to tell a story.

The usage of canvas size is to portray the individual ideas of each piece. The vertical pieces portray the psychological or more internal aspects of being in the dance industry, with discrimination and toxic beauty standards. The horizontal pieces represent the physical space dancers inhabit and how they are perceived by others. These horizontal pieces draw more attention to body postures and setting, which conveys the societal gaze. The difference in framing emphasises the contrast between public image and personal experience.

Heres something fun. You know I did the last two artworks without a drawing tablet?? It just crashed on me in the middle of the fifth piece and since these were due for my semester 2 final I just went "fuck it" and did it all with my mouse.