Artist Statement:
This series of work titled ‘Silenced’ focuses on the silence females in the present world face. The concept stems from gender prejudice placed towards children of a young age. The three girls I selected for this piece demonstrate the silence females face in both childhood and years later. The decision to focus on two very young girl’s highlights that silence starts at a young age – and leads into adult life.
This series of work titled ‘Silenced’ focuses on the silence females in the present world face. The concept stems from gender prejudice placed towards children of a young age. The three girls I selected for this piece demonstrate the silence females face in both childhood and years later. The decision to focus on two very young girl’s highlights that silence starts at a young age – and leads into adult life.
This series was created using portraiture, and focuses on natural light paired with three models and the prop of the flower chair to create the final piece. The colour white was chosen as a focal point in many of the images, shown within the prop and the costumes (flowers and white linen), to demonstrate the girl’s innocence and purity.
The concept to remove the girl’s mouths was experimented with in a way to show the silence theme, whilst still carrying over the eerie aspect I, as an artist, like to display within my work. It stops people, and through a some what uncomfortable feeling makes them think about the present issue.
Gregory Crewdson, artist of the series Beneath the Roses, brings me great inspiration in the way he incorporates meaning into every image. Through focusing on some what mundane daily life he brings this eerie feeling to his art which is what I have aimed to accomplish with my piece ‘silenced’. As I evolved my artistic techniques and concepts through my life, I was frequently exposed to feminist artists such as Barbara Kruger, with her work ‘Your Body Is a Battleground’ exposing me to the idea to use art to emphasise a strong issue I am passionate about.
Through current situations within my life this issue of silenced women has been recognised, with the shocking truth about how silence so frequently controls their lives, and so many others.
- Brittney Payne
