Magdalena Alexander
Swan Scream explores the concept of rejecting constricting beauty standards. The swan is traditionally a symbol of beauty and purity. Comparing this to pressures I have felt as a woman throughout my life, I reject this idea by subverting the idealized image of the swan. As the gaze rises up the typical depiction of the swan, the viewer eventually lands their focus onto her gaping beak, filled with layers of sharp teeth and sticking out a barbed tongue. She sits on a pond of broken mirror shards, communicating that her expression is not merely an act of aggression but rather a reaction to her environment. From afar, the sides of the mirror appear blue like a body of water that the swan is floating in, until the viewer draws closer.
Centipede’s Sacrifice depicts a centipede mother protecting her many babies using her long segmented body, reflecting how centipedes biologically treat their children in real life. The mirror in the middle allows for the viewer to see themselves as they approach, placing themselves within the moment. This piece simultaneously examines two major concepts. The centipede acts as the physical manifestation of the “creepy crawly” - the outcast, the rejected, the cause for disgust. This idea is then subverted by showing the centipede in a truly heartwarming moment; a moment of complete sacrifice in which she puts herself into a position of potential danger in order to protect her young. Additionally, this piece depicts my feelings toward motherhood: the fear of it, the sacrifices that come with it, and how society treats it. Mothers commonly have to sacrifice everything for their children, no longer living for themselves but for their family as the ultimate sacrifice. However, many women are also judged in the opposite way, deemed to be unfit to be a mother because of the way they present themselves or act. The centipede represents both the struggle against maternal instincts and societal pressure, as well as the necessity of not judging the character of somebody by the way that they look.
Non-Nesting Doll is the most straightforward self portrait sculpture of the show. Matryoshka dolls traditionally represent domestic life, with the inner dolls representing children or family legacy. I subvert this representation by depicting myself in my dirty ceramics clothes, showing how I view my role as an artist in opposition to domesticity. Women are consistently told that they have to choose between having a career or being home with their children, and many get convinced that if they choose the former they will be labeled as a bad mother. Childless women are often judged for being so, as if women’s value is placed directly in their relationship with others. I reject these pressures, and with my non-nesting doll show that I am whole the way I am, and that I do not need to take on traditionally domestic roles in order to be considered as “correct” in the eyes of society. Non-Nesting Doll stands on a custom pedestal so that she is eye to eye with the viewer, and at my height in real life. The dirty apron is glazed in a chromatic luster, highlighting its significance and furthermore the importance of art in my life.