Skin Two June 3, 2009
Emerging British artist Helen Gorrill’s exhibition raises questions about gendered submission and domination 10th - 19th June, University of Cumbria, Carlisle
Helen Gorrill knew absolutely nothing about bondage until she picked up a copy of Skin Two for her latest university project on the seven deadly sins and became fascinated. Other research included talking to professional dominatrices and a visit to Amsterdam’s red light district.
Helen Gorrill’s females are erect, dominant and powerful in stance, compared with the smaller, vulnerable and submissive male figures beneath them. Whilst the females are tall and powerful in high heeled boots and shoes, the males are bent over in sexually submissive poses, sometimes tied, harnessed or gagged. However, she says “many men I have spoken to have been really troubled by these images, finding them too controversial and disliking the power imbalance they are not familiar with.”
All her male figures were drawn from life , the artist being fortunate to find a willing male model who was happy to explore BDSM through the fine arts. This was lucky in a rural county such as Cumbria, where many such issues are taboo and just not able to be discussed. However the dominatrices Helen spoke to from outside the county helped her understand such issues as masking or blanking out facial features, in order to provide anonymity and entice submissiveness.
Helen’s immediate tutors at the University of Cumbria were completely supportive of her project. “I received a huge amount of advice on the subject, not realising how interesting the subject is to many people. And Cumbria’s foundation drawing degree has always strived to encourage students to work with charged and brave material.”
Thoughout most of history, and art history, Woman have been seen as controlled and submissive ‘objects’. Christianity has also given us the submissive image of Woman and Helen Gorrill has deconstructed the wording from a booklet containing contemporary Christian guidelines (referring to Ephesians and Matthew), commanding couples in terms of their gender and roles of submission, domination and control. She therefore swapped the submissive female role for that of the dominating male, to get the viewer to ask questions.
An elected member of the Association of Erotic Artists, Helen Gorrill has always had an interest in art of a subversive/taboo nature. However, it has never been the artist’s intention to cause any deliberate offence, but that the body of work should raise questions about gendered submission and control, and also the issues related to BDSM in relationships which are often hidden as subcultures in society.
As part of the University of Cumbria’s faculty of the arts 2009 exhibition, Helen Gorrill’s work can be seen for over 18s and it’s screened off in a group show of The Seven Deadly Sins: University of Cumbria FdA degree show, University of Cumbria, Carlisle (Brampton Road campus); 10/6/09 – 19/6/09 (open 10-4, closed Sunday). Her work can also be purchased through her website which will be regularly updated after the degree show, at www.helengorrill.com
Postcard prints of these drawings will be shown concurrently at a group exhibition in New York’s APW Gallery, located at 48-18 Van Dam St, Queens, NY 11101 (718 383 0671). Their website is at http://www.apwarts.com/
:.
Emerging British artist Helen Gorrill’s exhibition raises questions about gendered submission and domination 10th - 19th June, University of Cumbria, Carlisle
Helen Gorrill knew absolutely nothing about bondage until she picked up a copy of Skin Two for her latest university project on the seven deadly sins and became fascinated. Other research included talking to professional dominatrices and a visit to Amsterdam’s red light district.
Helen Gorrill’s females are erect, dominant and powerful in stance, compared with the smaller, vulnerable and submissive male figures beneath them. Whilst the females are tall and powerful in high heeled boots and shoes, the males are bent over in sexually submissive poses, sometimes tied, harnessed or gagged. However, she says “many men I have spoken to have been really troubled by these images, finding them too controversial and disliking the power imbalance they are not familiar with.”
All her male figures were drawn from life , the artist being fortunate to find a willing male model who was happy to explore BDSM through the fine arts. This was lucky in a rural county such as Cumbria, where many such issues are taboo and just not able to be discussed. However the dominatrices Helen spoke to from outside the county helped her understand such issues as masking or blanking out facial features, in order to provide anonymity and entice submissiveness.
Helen’s immediate tutors at the University of Cumbria were completely supportive of her project. “I received a huge amount of advice on the subject, not realising how interesting the subject is to many people. And Cumbria’s foundation drawing degree has always strived to encourage students to work with charged and brave material.”
Thoughout most of history, and art history, Woman have been seen as controlled and submissive ‘objects’. Christianity has also given us the submissive image of Woman and Helen Gorrill has deconstructed the wording from a booklet containing contemporary Christian guidelines (referring to Ephesians and Matthew), commanding couples in terms of their gender and roles of submission, domination and control. She therefore swapped the submissive female role for that of the dominating male, to get the viewer to ask questions.
An elected member of the Association of Erotic Artists, Helen Gorrill has always had an interest in art of a subversive/taboo nature. However, it has never been the artist’s intention to cause any deliberate offence, but that the body of work should raise questions about gendered submission and control, and also the issues related to BDSM in relationships which are often hidden as subcultures in society.
As part of the University of Cumbria’s faculty of the arts 2009 exhibition, Helen Gorrill’s work can be seen for over 18s and it’s screened off in a group show of The Seven Deadly Sins: University of Cumbria FdA degree show, University of Cumbria, Carlisle (Brampton Road campus); 10/6/09 – 19/6/09 (open 10-4, closed Sunday). Her work can also be purchased through her website which will be regularly updated after the degree show, at www.helengorrill.com
Postcard prints of these drawings will be shown concurrently at a group exhibition in New York’s APW Gallery, located at 48-18 Van Dam St, Queens, NY 11101 (718 383 0671). Their website is at http://www.apwarts.com/
:.
No comments:
Post a Comment