Francesca DiMattioStatues

Statues, a solo exhibition, presents selections from bodies of work ranging from 2015 - 2019. The works included probe perceptions of domesticity, presenting traditionally domestic forms and materials in novel and occasionally uncomfortable ways. By naming the exhibition “statues,” Dimattio seeks to highlight the representation of the figure, a consistent thread throughout the work. She makes frequent reference to the female body—a form historically overwhelmed by the trappings of domesticity. Through the language of decorative motifs, DiMattio alludes to the complex relationship between the female body and domestic function. Her explorations offer new approaches to materials and form—ones which seek to empower, rather than imprison. By employing porcelain as a primary medium, DiMattio references the deep history of the material, and its use in a variety of cultures and histories. The exhibition invokes artifacts such as the Venus of Willendorf and ancient Greek depictions of Venus, as well as quotidian objects such as pillows and children’s toys. DiMattio fuses these disparate lineages together into a new, connected whole, where decorative elements are reimagined as grotesque, and traditional notions of beauty are questioned.

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