| Jennifer
Culp, February 2006 Back to Gallery Home Contact |
Artist's Statement
My
artwork is a
means through which I explore my own views and feelings about the world
I inhabit. The work presented here focuses on certain aspects of our
culture's perspectives about female sexuality, revealed not only in the
experience of my life as a young woman, but also in myths incorporated
from other societies into the formation of our own culture. In many of
the Greek, Roman, and Hebrew myths which have been adopted by American
culture, one can find a connection between snakes, women, and a
negative perception of sexuality. The inclusion of a snake in such a
myth, such as Eve and the serpent, the creation of the Gorgon Medusa,
and the punishment of Lamia, reveals a conception of the woman as a
temptress, a negative sexual force which is damaging and must be put
down by civilization. I often see this notion upheld by unwitting,
culturally indoctrinated members of my own society; it sometimes seems
that women alone are held responsible for sexual behavior and its
consequences, as if the men involved just "can't help themselves" in
the face of such temptation. Snake imagery in my work addresses the
idea of woman as temptress, its implications, its entrenchment in our
culture, and how it affects my life.I feel a strange cultural dichotomy which encourages me, and other women of my generation, to embrace sexuality and a "temptress" image, while simultaneously shaming us for it and attempting to reduce us solely to it. I feel that much of this negative pressure is applied not primarily for sexual behavior or dress, but merely for possessing a female body. Partially because of this, most of my work is made to fit a female body, specifically my own body. While my work encompasses issues endured by many, if not all, of my peers, the fact that (unbeknownst to most) the work is made to fit my own body is significant; my frequent "swings" in body image, from shame to pride, reflects the larger picture of our society's messages to women about their bodies. |