Gina Siuda

I am a firm believer that our experiences and memories shape us into who we are today. My work touches on themes of personal narrative, manipulated perspectives, and coping with trauma. These ideas are illustrated through my representations of the female form.

I have always been drawn to depicting the organic elements that can be found in the imperfections of the non-traditional female form, such as scars, moles, and other marks on the body. I explore the tension created between reality vs illusion, and this idea of not feeling whole, by focusing on blemishes and distorting intimate perspectives of the female body. My work gives me the opportunity to rebel against the thin women I’ve seen in magazines and throughout art history, that tricks women and society into believing that is what a real woman looks like. There is nothing so fragile, yet more resilient, than the female body and mind.

My distorted and manipulated figures are derived from my experiences of being in an emotionally abusive relationship, where I often was manipulated into doubting my own sanity on a daily basis. I truly began to believe this twisted image that was being projected onto me. The way that I saw myself was broken, along with the way I perceived other people. I became terrified of letting people know too much information about my life, in fear that they would take advantage of me, or use my insecurities as weapons against me. My work allows me to overcome this fear of exposing my vulnerability and explore the emotional and physical scars of an abusive relationship.

Perhaps this is why I’m so drawn to paint and fabric. Paint can be manipulated, just like people can manipulate others perceptions. Paint is the artists’ residue; it has the ability to create a human connection through the trace of the artist's hand, and that is what I really aspire to do; connect with people who share similar experiences. Fabric is so fragile, yet we use it as protection from monsters under our bed when we are children. Every morning we wake up and drape ourselves in fabric that we choose based on what comforts us, or how we want to be viewed. Cloth has the ability to conceal and reveal one's tenderness. In the words of Ann Hamilton, “Cloth is the body's first architecture; it protects, conceals, and reveals; it carries our weight, swaddles us at birth and covers us in sleep and death”. Throughout my work I explore these constructs with my use of materials and their relationships to the human body and psyche.