Title: Beauty and the beast
Date: 2015
Status: Private Collection
Medium: Acrylic paint and etching on wooden panel
Size: Diptych 500mm H x 500mm W each panel

Description: Beauty and the beast’ is a painted diptych that was created in response to moving to the country, where physical tasks made me question my position on the roles we take. I have been influenced by New Zealand Feminist painters Sylvia Siddell and Jacqueline Fahey, as they too have been inspired by their surrounding environments.

The subject matter of a vacuum cleaner and a chainsaw, symbolise gender norms and question their relevance in today’s world. These everyday objects take on lives and can be seen as people duelling and or one person’s internal gender battle. I have used typical male and female colours to play and mixed the balance. The title alludes to the fairy tale story, but in this open ended narrative the beast is the vacuum cleaner, which plays the part of irrational powerful woman whilst the chainsaw is the calm male antagonist.

There is no resolution just a constant push and pull between the two, as they fight for roles, power and balance.

Katie Blundell 2015