Art Space
Feminist Art
The Women's Studies suite offers our walls for University of Houston students to display their work. This art must deal with gender or feminist issues. One artist displays his/her work for the duration of the school year and may provide purchase information for each piece. Women's Studies holds an art opening for the artist in the Fall.
Current Exhibit
Bissan Rafe, "Olive Brides"
Artist Statement:
"I like to write a story, a poem, for every painting I make; life is fiction and mine is a very interesting one. 'Olive Brides' is a collection of paintings that reflect the suffering and hardship women face during war times. I choose to focus on the situation in the Gaza strip, and Palestine in particular, since it is my duty to honor my heritage. When I am painting, I am filled with a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment. When people see my work, I'd like them to think, to feel and to touch my point of view. My work might seem a little political and feminist, but I want to bring the audience out of their comfort zone. I want to share my experience as a woman to reflect on a common yet overlooked dilemma."
Previous Exhibit
Jessica Childers, "Critical Introspection"
Artist Statement:
"My intention with my artwork is to convey various emotional states while remaining subtle and quiet. I hope to create paintings that communicate to the viewer a sense of frustration, anxiety, and discomfort, but almost on a subconscious level. In my paintings, I try to present situations that could almost appear to fit into reality, but at second glance betray convention. The subjects I choose are advanced in age; something that I think belies wisdom and experience, making whatever emotion they are made to represent more legitimate, and therefore more poignant. This also serves to question society’s concept of beauty—we are bombarded daily with perfect, airbrushed faces, but rarely notice the attractiveness in something flawed. This is an issue women (more so than men) can identify with. Old age also holds appeal to me because it seems to represent a time when some people are beginning to get more comfortable with themselves and who they are, because they have finally accepted and dismissed whatever insecurities they had at a younger age. I am also interested in interpersonal relationships, and what can be implied about them by the choices I make in color, composition, etc. when I construct a painting."
Interested Artists
If you are interested in showing your work in the Women's Studies suite, please contact Holle or Kristi at wost@uh.edu.
