Referencing the space of sustained anxiety surrounding reproductive and overall health, my work bridges the perceived disconnect between ongoing legislation and their subsequent harmful, tangible implications. Urgently diffusing these complex emotions through textured brushwork, these paintings become tactile, fleshy masses that combine muscle and meat with lived experiences of women. The vibrant color palettes ooze with the visceral nature of politically allegorical maiming of people with vulvas. Commenting on the contentious state of censorship of vaginal images, these works balance the perception of abjection and the explicit realities that are imperative to discuss.
In this era of ineffable circumstance, my work reflects the feeling of suppression and control as news of proposed reproductive health legislation is occurring daily in the overwhelm of the Information Age. These psychological paintings and interdisciplinary works discuss the multifaceted effects of limiting reproductive health access. Through performance, sculptural installation work, and community-based activist art, my work transcends the corporeal and disrupts our surroundings.
Referencing the continuing history of the connotations between women’s emotional responses and hysteria, my work serves as a current zeitgeist, showing personal narratives that speak to the greater collective.
- Isabella Covert