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Nava Atlas - Artist's Statement
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for words and images in equal measure. Stories written were always accompanied by drawings; visual works nearly always contained text. In the former, the visual component allowed me to share my interpretation of the words; in the latter, words added a layer of context and meaning. Further, the words themselves become an intrinsic part of the visual pleasure of the piece, whether one reads them carefully or not.
My work has followed parallel paths in the fine arts and publishing fields. With the idea of the book central to my practice, I can explore multiple end results emanating from each concept—sculptural artist’s books can be taken off the page to become mixed media constructions or installations; limited editions can be teased into conventionally published, albeit offbeat books. Incorporating elements of my own writing as well as appropriated text
with found images and materials, my work
explore women’s roles, and cultural expectations, as
well as themes of creative process, social justice, and explorations of the
self.
My most recent work examines how language and image are used to reinforce gender roles, cultural expectations, and institutional sexism. Found material is incorporated into these works, including pinup photos, advice columns, vintage food and home advertisements, and romance comics. Many of these items speak to ingrained stereotypes, whether that of housewives, 1950s “cheesecake” girls, victims of circumstance, or women-as-ultimate-consumers. These texts and images, recontextualized, expose intransigent assumptions about gender. Using computer processes to manipulate historic material also neatly reflects the premise of looking at present-day issues through the lens of the past. In many parts of this recent series, the computer-manipulated work is melded with found domestic objects like washboards, gloves, kitchenware, or seamlessly fused with book cloth or aged books.
In these works and others in this series, the examination of gender issues and subtle sexism provokes questions about the ways in which language, media, and cultural constructs push long-held beliefs against the desire for changes in the status quo. The book form provides a familiar point from which to challenge personal and cultural constructions of knowledge. Melding modern technology with age-old objects and traditional materials, and adding a liberal dose of irony, my work seeks to invite my audience to engage with me on the issues of gender and culture that I find most fascinating. |
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