Esther Bunting as Judith Beheading Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi
Detail
Hosted in the iconic Brixton Village, FINDING ARTEMISIA / Un-Heroic Traditions explored the complex and layered history of our visual narratives of gender-based violence.
This work was produced in collaboration with six women, all of whom have had personal experiences with gender violence. Each was Inspired by powerful archetypes taken from the oeuvre of Artemisia Gentileschi. Finding Artemisia attempts a direct challenge to the outdated tradition of the ‘silent muse’ through the visual and narrative empowerment of each sitter. Rather than being recorded as a mute object of display, the process of creating these works was closely collaborative, made during a single sitting with each model, and hinged on the unique dynamic between artist and sitter. The traditional role of the model and artist was reversed; the model speaking through the artist’s work, sharing the narratives of their own lives, the abuse that they encountered, and their processes of healing and recovery.
Yuma as Mary Magdalene with Melancholy
Betty as Lucretia
