10 point project- Collage self portrait Vee Hughes

Night Vee Hughes 2024

    My collage piece, Night, speaks on issues of misogyny and feminism, especially in the context of current events. Although I do not identify as a woman, I am AFAB. I was raised a woman, I was socialized as a woman and all of my life experiences have been impacted by being seen as a woman. Even when you identify as trans or non-binary, you will still always be seen as a woman by the world. The article Ways of Seeing states; “To be born a woman has been to be born, within an allotted and confined space, into the keeping of men.” My piece conveys the complex emotions that I, and so many others are experiencing right now; a blend of fear and hope. My piece is collaged from pieces of magazine arranged to form a figure and a background. The figure has a melancholic expression and is framed by the female symbol with a halo inside of it. My art was inspired by Frida Kahlo and Ana Mendieta. My work attempts to emanate the feel of stained glass and also speaks to religious trauma like my previous collage. Women also have experienced a great deal of misogyny as a result of devout typically Abrahamic religions and I could go on for hours about the story of Adam and Eve and the implications it has had. I intend to make this a series. I was also inspired by a quote from Kamala Harris in her concession speech that she got from Martin Luther King Jr. It’s a quote that I find similar to so many others that have inspired me for years. “Only when it is dark enough can you see stars.”. One quote from the readings I relate this assignment to is from an article on portraits. “A portrait does not have to be the image of an individuality, conceived as an island no one could access but the portraitist. A portrait can be the way to plunge into the sea of life.”. I always find it hard to make self-portraits of myself because I tend to struggle to identify my self-image, the constantly changing hair color doesn't help. This quote and its concepts are something I thought about while making my project. Although the figure is meant to be me it could be and does represent everyone impacted by systemic misogyny. Contemporary media is important in our culture as it expresses complex stances and concepts while also speaking to individual stories and experiences. Art makes people feel seen and understood which is why it's so important to society, especially when that art is political, although all art is political.