Inside the studio of Olga Esther as she prepares for her solo show ‘Princesses, Gender Mandates and Other Stories’ at Thinkspace Projects in Gallery II
On View: October 16, 2021 – November 6, 2021
What was the inspiration behind this latest body of work? What themes were you exploring?
My paintings talk about feminism. With this exhibition I wanted to talk about gender mandates, how the construction of our identity as women is based on the fulfillment of certain mandates or roles, and how, despite all the pressures, some of us sometimes disobey. Like Tara, who against all recommendations, vowed to adopt only female reincarnations on her path to awakening.
Unconditional surrender, waiting for Prince Charming or the criticism of the myth of romantic love are some of the themes that appear in the paintings. The patriarchy finds in the myth of romantic love the perverse key that exposes the heart of women as an offering of unconditional surrender and sacrifice.
“Never safe” one of my favorite works of this show speaks of the double discrimination suffered by black women due to male chauvinist and racist violence.
