FE RTILITY FERFTILITY ERT ILITY

The color red is something viscerally maternal. In the context of this work, it can represent a confiscation of childhood, a loss of innocence. The woman in this painting is turned inside out, defined solely by her reproductive organs, reduced to the identity of a beast because she is only valued for her child rearing abilities. The color red, like motherhood, can be a beautiful thing–but it can also be violently detrimental, just as the female role can be reduced to an exclusively sexual and reproductive one.

"Baby's First Ciggie"

Linoleum reduction relief print on paper

As an artist, my main subjects of interest are dolls and babies. I like to place them in contexts that have absurd and sarcastic undertones. In this print, I included a fetal form smoking a dart. The words “Baby’s First Ciggie” encompass the figure, referencing the common adages of “Baby’s First Christmas” or “Baby’s First Word,” etc. What does this have to do with the theme of “red”? As a begrudged cigarette enjoyer, I imagined the fetus smoking a Marlboro Red – my go-to brand.

Tori White by

Red provides a visual intensity that is not quite comparable to other hues. Anger, love, violence, and passion – some of the most penetrating, extreme facets of the human experience – have become synonymous with the color. For me, red has an air of uncertainty and fear to such an intense degree it almost becomes laughable. In this painting, I was thinking a lot about the uncertaint y in death. For most of my life, I have been so fearful of death, despite the fact it is a natural and arguably beautiful part of existence. I began to think about how absurd and frankly funny this fear is. To that end, I painted a figure emulating what I imagine a personified version of death would look like. By including the doll, I aimed to subvert the power the figure desired to radiate, mitigating it with a childhood plaything. The red surrounding the figures aims to intensify these feelings.

"Damned"

Oil on panel