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An exhibition that opens at Estuary Arts Centre next week is all about body image and focuses on one body part in particular – the female breast.
The show, called Keeping Abreast, which runs from September 25–October 29 has been timed to take place in Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) and Estuary Arts Centre manager Kim Boyd says the centre will be fundraising for this cause by selling Pink Ribbon merchandise and a handmade pink ribbon-inspired quilt by Sarah McDonald.
“Our aim was to encourage artists to work in any medium to create artworks that respond to the theme of body image,” Kim says. “Low body confidence, poor self-esteem or the trauma of breast cancer can have a crippling effect on an individual’s emotional and mental state of mind.”
She says artists have been encouraged to make work that considers questions such as how social media and marketing affect self-image, what does a healthy body look like and how gender stereotypes affect self-worth.
Work from sculptor Jeff Thompson, best known for his works in corrugated iron is included, along with Bizarre Bras made for the World of Wearable Arts by Beatrice Carlson and Bev Goodwin.
Kim has made wall busts of female forms featuring hand crocheted flowers to represent hope.
Large quilts, paintings, mosaics and Storm McKracken’s chainmail wearable art are also on display together with three mixed media corsets by LeeAnn Thoresen who interviewed women attending a breast clinic and embroidered their comments on body image into her work.
Ian Miller has put together a video in which he has interviewed a range of Hibiscus Coast residents about what they like and don’t like about their bodies.
