Opening Reception: Thursday, June 6, 2024 from 6:00-8:00 pm
Artistry is excited to bring the work of Klaire Lockheart and Laura Wennstrom together, telling two stories of how women are seen in society, in our Inez Greenberg Gallery.
Lockheart’s invention of “brodalisque” represents men realistically as idealized nude female bodies in classic artwork and makes us questions the purpose and worth of the countless depictions of inactive nude women. Challenging the traditional patriarchal values of Western civilization. Even though she creates paintings of “dudes in man caves” her work is not about men. It is encouraging the audience, through humor, to see the absurd ways women are treated in the world.
Wennstorm uses everyday household objects to create art that explores motherhood. Her work brings these items out of their typical contexts to explore the physical and emotional clutter mothers navigate with young children; while reflecting on overconsumption and the demands placed on maternal caretakers.The counterbalance of women being seen as languid models verse mothers with an abundance of demands demonstrates the wide range of how women have been treated for millennia. Artistry encourages all who visit to ponder the representation of women and people of other marginalized genders in everyday life.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
KLAIRE LOCKHEART uses oil paint and her snarky sense of humor to create badass artwork to challenge traditional gender roles. She is known for her absurd figure paintings. As Miss Art World South Dakota, Lockheart advocates for the rights of women and people of other marginalized genders in a region where feminism is often considered an “F-word.” She is committed to painting high quality portraits and compositions with ridiculous detail in order to pick fights with old dead European artists who excluded and mistreated women. She is grateful for receiving grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, and the South Dakota Arts Council to make oil on canvas paintings of reclining dudes luxuriating in man caves. Her subversive brodalisque paintings have been published in New American Paintings, DailyArt Magazine, and Bird in Flight. The Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City, SD; the Norfolk Arts Center in Norfolk, NE; and the Sioux City Art Center in Sioux City, IA have hosted her recent solo exhibitions. Because she strives to uplift other misfits, nerds, and glorious weirdos, Lockheart curates group exhibitions in her rural community. She is also thankful to be a recipient of the Rural Regenerator Fellowship from Springboard for the Arts so she can continue to work in Vermillion, SD.
LAURA WENNSTROM is a multimedia artist, working in two and three dimensional formats using found materials, color, and installation techniques. Her work has been frequently exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across the country. Laura received an MFA in New Media from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and BA in Studio Art from North Park University in Chicago. Laura has a robust teaching practice, teaching classes to children through adults at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Bethel University, and the Minnesota Textile Center. Laura lives and works in Minneapolis with her family.