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What Girls Want What Girls Want is a companion to and extension of Soul of Woman, which was exhibited in 2004. Soul of Woman was a series of 11 photographic portraits of young girls who are exploring their traditions and experimenting with self-expression. Where Soul focused on girls’ faces, What Girls Want depicts girls’ aspirations, desires and yearnings through images of their immature but probing hands engaged in natural activities. Only their hands and props appropriate to the activity or ideal are shown. The imagery might be subtle or obvious, but it belongs to girls. Girls are taught from an early age that they can’t have what their truly want. Their dress, demeanor and attitudes are too often scripted from birth and molded through their teen years. Even in today’s post-feminist age, some young women still struggle with their identities as whole people because we accept and transmit to each other stereotypical messages of suitable female appearance and choice of activity. The images are deeply personal to the artist and reflect a commitment to social justice. The exhibit is a series of nine black and white photographic prints, 16x20 framed, mounted on museum foam and matted with white archival mat board, and framed in a standard black frame with conservation glass. Each image is hand-printed in a limited edition of 20 prints and signed by the artist. What Girls Want is an expanding series in 2005, and currently includes: Girls Want to Respect Girls Want Their Due Girls Want Justice Girls Want to Play Girls Want to Create Girls Want Control Girls Want to Be Themselves Girls Want Love Without Violence Girls Want to Know: Will We Be Friends as Women?
What Girls Want was first exhibited at Venus Envy-St. Louis, April 14-16, 2005. |
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