Kelly Reemtsen mixes it up with 50's glam and hints of the macabre. Heroines are wielding an axe, shears, a hose or rubber gloves. These women dolled up in party dresses manage to make these common household tools look menacing. With their candy colored outfits, the just as brightly colored wrench is half fashion accessory, half tool of empowerment. Heads and feet are missing in all of the pics except in the rare woman falling painting. It's telling that the made up faces and 'do's in addition to shoes, are missing in action. If there is one thing a woman is bound to fret over it's her make up and heels. This makes our woman an enigma but also points to the anonymity that results when women are seen solely for their bodies. Seeing a woman dressed in 50's garb with a Barbie body, there is an automatic association with the helpless woman who was not only barred from the work force, but was helpless without a man. Pairing fancy dresses with tools associated with men says these women are bold, taking things into their own hands.
The artist and her exhibit at the Skidmore Contemporary Art Gallery
Kelly Reemtsen
15 Jan 2013 14:18:00,
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