Aubrey Davis
I am a multi-disciplinary artist creating works to subvert patriarchal standards imposed on women in American society. My art practice began as an outlet and documentation, of C-PTSD and mental health recovery through divorce, and grew to incapsulate themes of anti-patriarchy, the concept of marriage, and the representation of the female form through an electrified color palette. I use a variety of mediums intertwining a combination of velvet painting, found material sculpture, and traditional oil paintings portraiture, building upon previous works to create the next. I passionately condone female representation through the perspective of the ‘Male Gaze,’ characterized by objectification and sexualization of the female form, and produce work in response and to reclaim the female body.
MOTHER
Artist Statement
Over the years I have done a series of female portraits sitting in chairs in a staged setting and when my sister became a mother I knew I wanted to complete a piece of her in regal drapery while in a messy nursery. Upon further research, we became inspired by Diva Rumina, the Roman Goddess of Breastfeeding, who protects breastfeeding mothers and nursing infants. This discovery led the portrait to include my sister breastfeeding her child while back lit with neon light symbolizing the goddess and the glowing aura of new mothers. This work captures the beautiful memories my sister will have of the first year of motherhood and growing a child using the her body as sustenance.
Rumina, 2024