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Jennifer Ruell-Huckell
Artist Statement
My emphasis lies within objects that can be considered
fragments of an everyday life. I am intrigued by the intimacy we have with objects, the comfort we receive from them,
and the commentary of objects on a lifestyle and society. It is the subversion of the object, or the subversion or the
ideas encompassing the object that interest me. I employ irony, satire and sarcasm to bring the work to life, creating
within it a narrative and empowering it with a voice of its own in which it interacts in a dialog with the viewer.
The themes in my work revolve around the roles of women, the ideas instilled in them by a society, their own internal contradictions,
and the influence of a male presence. I explore an era of tight-lacing, patentmedicine, elaborate courtship rituals,
and the emerging redefinition of women's roles socially,domesticly, and sexually. It is through the exploration and
subversion of historical ideas and practices that I find a connection to the present and realize that these notions from the
past are not so far removed from our own. Although the pieces mock a time long ago, they are meant to expose our tendency
to adhere to preexisting ideals and bring light to the old cliche' that history does repeat itself.
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