Burson's pieces makes a statement; Beauty Composites "addresses notions of beauty as defined by society and culture." Through images in magazines, online blogs, and celebrities we have created the "ideal woman" in the eyes of public. Teenagers buy make up while adults get plastic surgery trying to strive towards the social and cultural idea of the perfect woman. Even children have the same dream, thank you Matel for the creation of the Barbie. The body mass index (BMI) of Barbie is exactly the same as the BMI for a person with severe anorexia. Physically, Barbie would not be able to function, yet this is what society is making us think we should look like. Burson's creation brings to light the same focus that Barbie does, society and culture have manipulated the public into creating an ideal woman that is not physically possible.
By choosing to morph such popular and beautiful women, Burson has made her statement. I believe her choice in celebrities is strong since these women were known in their time is beauty icons and leaders. Showing that they alone are not the ideal forces us to see her theory and helps the audience to see how society and culture has manipulated our idea of the perfect woman. Her presentation and idea is displayed strongly through her image and her point is easily understood.
Resources:
-http://nancyburson.com/pages/fineart_pages/earlycomps.html
-https://blackboard.smcm.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-94085-dt-content-rid-444332_1/courses/13FA-ART214.01/13FA-ART214.01_ImportedContent_20130826114536/ChristianePaul.pdf
-http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20055694-10391704.html
You were talking about the 'reality' of beauty and you also mentioned Barbie--maybe you've seen this article already, but this post from hyperallergic includes some really interesting work by other artists who are contemplating beauty vs. reality through Barbie.
ReplyDeletehttp://hyperallergic.com/74913/deconstructing-barbies-disproportion/
I also think that some of these works are really nice examples of digital art as social activism, because many of these projects wouldn't be possible without digital tools that can alter the physical object.
Thank you so much for that! In my past projects, I have researched Barbie and and seen some of that information, but I really find the idea of the phenomenon and it's connection with digital media to be extremely interesting.
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