Mia Behrens

My oil-painted portraits and still-lives represent my experience of objectification under the male gaze, and the enforced mentality that my value as a woman is driven by my bodily usefulness. I subtly distort habitual feminine eroticism through portraiture, denying a seductive view of the female body by protecting vulnerable places, exuding strength, and enhancing socially unacceptable traits. My still-life work consists of repetition of chairs, valued only on their aesthetic quality; an image that personally symbolises my never ending objectification. The sole intended use of the chair is to support our bodies. Thus, I suspend its usefulness by withholding human interaction, to represent the way the male gaze determines feminine utility through bodily use. My recent practice strives to begin healing from the burden of objectification and portray the lasting affect it has my mindset moving forward.