Academia Cotopaxi I.B. Art: Natasha

The effect of the absence of a male figure in a family can cause serious psychological disruptions in the lives of its women. Being part of a family consisting of three women, my mother, my sister, and me, I have encountered in myself a series of difficulties caused by the physical absence of a father.

Is the imagery of the human body’s imperfections such as stretch marks, wrinkled skin, fatty flesh and body hair a metaphor for the reality of life? The challenge to the mind created by portraying images that to a certain point provoke sexuality of bare skin and its proximity to a woman’s intimate parts is purposely taken into consideration. This evokes a high level of emotion that can be compared to that of women who suffer the effects of the absence of a male figure in their lives.

The pieces “Mientras Mas Vomita Mas Bonita” (The More She Vomits the More Beautiful She Is) and “Competencia Es Decencia” (Competition is Decency) were inspired by the feminist Barbara Kruger. The declarative statements emphasize a general criticism of young women as they mix pity and aggressiveness in the struggle for power and control. However, my personal life is the heart to my art work; where I declare and highlight the issues that I, as a teenager, confront by not having a father figure at home.

By painting my mother’s, my sister’s and my own body I intended to compare skin texture, color and our individual peculiarities (and similarities). I am not only making the point of how the differences between us are affected by time, but also how time fuses us into single continuum.