Gender of Art

My work recently focuses on females in different stages of their lives. I’m photographing mothers and daughters bonding by engaging in activities like shopping. In America, shopping is commonly regarded as an hobby that women enjoy. Many mothers use shopping as a means of teaching their daughters about clothing, makeup, spending money, and instilling the importance of self-image. It is a process of teaching how to behave by example, as is the way of parenting.

In Dave Hickey’s essay “Prom Night in Flatland: On the Gender of Works of Art,” he discusses the gender of works of art and how they vary across different time periods. I think that although my current concept illustrates the ideal of American feminine composure and behavior, the technical manner in which I photograph is more masculine. The figures are centered, still, and in most cases directing their attention at my camera. Although the lines converge into the distance, the focus is undoubtedly on the figures in the center of the image. I am directing the viewer to exactly what I want them to look at, leaving little room for creative interpretation outside of the figures themselves.