Isidore

My body of work mainly explores the pressure of beauty standards in the fashion industry. I focus on the way that we interpret ourselves and how we follow what is perceived as beauty through the eyes of society. For a few of my main pieces,  I explore the intricacy and beauty of anatomy, which is often approached as a taboo subject, and also question what we mean by timeless beauty. I stress the dangers of these beauty standards leading to issues on body images such as anorexia and depression. I relate my work to the aspects of judgment in the fashion industry as well as the judgment imposed by society. In this way, I ask myself and the viewer: What is considered true beauty? 

Using acrylic and a grey stonelike colour for the skin, my exhibition references the Greek Myth of Medusa. Often depicted in art as a heinous creature, she dies beheaded by Perseus. Inspired by the 18th-century ‘Head of Medusa’ sculpture by Antonio Canova, I aim to highlight the irony of a plaster, stone-like sculpture and create the interpretation that vanity and judgment turn one's self-identity into stone. Throughout my creative experience, I have used a wide variety of materials and techniques. One medium I used was acrylic paint, in which I enjoyed the versatility and experimented with mixing it with indian ink. Petrified by Perception depicts a distorted figure in an isolated room and critiques the judgment of others leading to this stonelike figure. From using straightforward acrylic to collage, I found that using acrylic made a more striking and solidified my idea of critiquing the fashion industry’s imposed beauty standards. My piece, Billboards of Uniformity, shows a striking background made of acrylic superposed with the simplicity of the models. I worked on canvas, which allowed me to gain confidence with the paint and develop a style with acrylic, which is seen in Turned to Bronze, illustrating the contorted body of a person suffering from anorexia. Acrylic helped me grasp the volume and hollowness of the bones and muscles, creating a striking image. I was greatly inspired by the works of Egon Schiele, with the use of his light brushstrokes and contorted bodies. His work inspired me in The Person They Don’t See with the strong, colourful brushstrokes and exaggerated facial features. Portraiture was a difficulty for me and Marlene Dumas’ work inspired me to work with faces in Indian ink. The Distant Smoker was created using the same technique as Dumas and helped me create an eerie look to a face weaving the supernatural and abstract element.