FEMINA 2: Renovation

This quilt is an ironic look at the condition of women. To be a woman is to be constantly scrutinized, observed, and judged by the gaze of others (men and women!). Society has its codes regarding how a woman should be made up and dressed. Who among us hasn't asked themselves, "What should I wear to a job interview or a conference?" On a more personal note, working in a company that values youth, speed, and dynamism, I have to face daily the stares that scrutinize every sign of aging, every gram of weight gain. This quilt is therefore my artistic revenge.

I focused on a woman's face. There are entire industries dedicated to improving every part of the face: cosmetic surgery to stitch eyelids or change the shape of the nose, Botox for wrinkles, lip augmentation, skin tightening. In this quilt, I presented a face undergoing a complete renovation, with construction machinery and a multitude of workers.

To create the piece, I began by painting a face with very broad features, using a palette knife and various Liquitex mediums. Then, to create swirling patterns within the paint, I placed plastic wrap over the still-wet surface. After it dried, I peeled it off, keeping the damaged and perforated plastic wrap. I composed the woman's face using strips of plain fabric (some dating back to the 1990s, from the Susan E. Seagram collection). Next, I printed all the engines, scaffolding, and workers onto the fabric. I covered all these elements with the plastic wrap and secured them with transparent thread. The composition wasn't very visible through the plastic, so I went to great lengths to destroy it even more: scissors, a scalpel, a soldering iron, and a heat gun were all used, making holes and tears in it. Finally, I found a balance of the desired composition.