Page 15 - the NOISE January 2013

Cloud 9 by Orion Schelz is among the FALA artists at Brandy’s Restaurant this month.
them,” Ms. Bronstein continues. “Add to that the history of lingerie, how it changed over time and why women feel the need to shape their bodies, for whatever reason, and it be- comes a very fertile subject.”
I ask Ms. Bronstein about her work in “Un- derneath it All.” “My art focuses on what we see as public and private in our society, and why,” she explains. “Nudity is prohibited and prurient, yet small pieces of cloth placed on the “right” parts of the body are acceptable, and even desired. The Victoria’s Secret fash- ion show draws millions of viewers every year, but a mother breastfeeding in an air- port or restaurant causes public outcry.”
“Women bear the brunt of this controversy, as they have historically, by changing the shapes of their bodies for fashion and reveal- ing or covering areas of the body that are considered appropriate,” Ms. Bronstein tells me. “My artwork allows the viewer to pon- der what is private and what is public; the clothing that touches our naked body, the unknown relationship between the drawing and the piece of clothing, and the nature of seeing underwear displayed in public.”
While visiting as artist in residence at the Coconino Center for the Arts, Ms. Bronstein will be giving a talk about the history of lin- gerie. “As a woman, I feel that lingerie is the ironic embodiment of women’s sexual confi- dence versus submission to historical roles,” she shares. “In our media-soaked culture, lingerie has many avenues of influence, and not all of them are healthy. Celebrities like
Katy Perry and Lady Gaga wear lingerie as costume but influence young girls to imitate their look. When the fashion industry sees an opportunity to profit on a trend, we get bras for girls too young to have developed bodies and a rise in body image diseases like anorexia and bulimia, even among tweens.”
“On the other hand, why are we still tied to the Puritanical attitudes that cause our society to giggle at the exposed nipple?” Ms. Bronstein asks. “Why are we still so un- comfortable with certain aspects of what is private and what is public? And why in the 21st century, are we still so obsessed with making our bodies fit an ideal look? Our so- ciety seems to weave back and forth on how much sexuality in women is healthy, and whether women are to be taken seriously.
“We say we want them to be leaders, but we still only have a fraction of women in Congress. We say that women should be successful economically, yet we get paid less than men in most jobs. The media portrays women as sexually free and desir- able, but there is still debate about funding women’s health.
“Lingerie is a huge business, and embed- ded in our culture. Our artwork asks the viewer to think about what the artist is say- ing through their pieces. We hope to pro- vide a range of ideas that are thought-pro- voking and enlightening.”
Some of the artists have created new works of art specifically for the show. One artist, Amanda Simons tells me about her
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thenoise.us • the NOISE arts & news • JANUARY 2013 • 15