This series contains suggestive content. Viewer discretion is advised.
"VENERATION"
Female figures are prominent in paintings, yet they are often objectified and their identities made
irrelevant. Veneration is my attempt to rehumanize the women in these paintings. By replacing the
female subjects with myself, I create an aura of self-assurance that contrasts the past practice and in
turn, recontextualizes the source paintings.
I took inspiration from Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills and Omar Viktor Diop’s Diaspora.
My goal during the styling process was to either recreate the original subject’s outfits if there were any
or find lingerie that embodies the atmosphere of the original artwork. The posing and framing are as
accurate as possible to make the source material obvious without solely relying on the title for
exposition. As for the editing process, every image is a composite: every background is digital and there
is at least one element from the relative paintings in every image of my series.
The word "veneration" is used in Catholicism in reference to the saints — people who are the
model for perfection. Most female models were prostitutes or actresses and had little to no control over
how they were portrayed, or even allowed in the spaces the finished pieces were displayed. My series was
created to venerate imperfect female forms which were historically neglected and praise the beauty of
femininity past and present. The series is not just a challenge to my self-confidence, but also a
celebration of my growth. Veneration was a brief but intense season of embracing myself as a woman. I
have a sense of power in the variety of new ways I can present myself to the world.
irrelevant. Veneration is my attempt to rehumanize the women in these paintings. By replacing the
female subjects with myself, I create an aura of self-assurance that contrasts the past practice and in
turn, recontextualizes the source paintings.
I took inspiration from Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills and Omar Viktor Diop’s Diaspora.
My goal during the styling process was to either recreate the original subject’s outfits if there were any
or find lingerie that embodies the atmosphere of the original artwork. The posing and framing are as
accurate as possible to make the source material obvious without solely relying on the title for
exposition. As for the editing process, every image is a composite: every background is digital and there
is at least one element from the relative paintings in every image of my series.
The word "veneration" is used in Catholicism in reference to the saints — people who are the
model for perfection. Most female models were prostitutes or actresses and had little to no control over
how they were portrayed, or even allowed in the spaces the finished pieces were displayed. My series was
created to venerate imperfect female forms which were historically neglected and praise the beauty of
femininity past and present. The series is not just a challenge to my self-confidence, but also a
celebration of my growth. Veneration was a brief but intense season of embracing myself as a woman. I
have a sense of power in the variety of new ways I can present myself to the world.