Over the Christmas period I really began to think about what makes me and what defines me as a person. What is behind this wall that I put up and put on? I began thinking of what I have hidden behind and what I use to make myself less like me, to try to become this Barbie like doll.
I looked at a couple of artists ones that really influence me. I looked in detail at Cindy Sherman, I really admired her work with dolls, I liked how outrageous they were and how she had explored sexuality and feminist points through using the dolls. I found it interesting how she described her work this dolls in an interview with Therese Lichtenstein.
“My ideas are not developed before I actually do the pieces. It’s good that you see it in that way. I never thought of the whole childhood thing and playing with dolls and dressing them up in regard to the newest work. For me it was out of boredom from using myself in the work, and feeling tied to that way of working. I became more interested and fascinated by the basics of what these prosthetic body parts were and I was just trying to use them without having to wear them myself. The whole series evolved from two mannequins — one female (the one positioned animal-like on all fours with the doll) and the other one male (the guy with the axe in the S-M scenario). These are the two most basic mannequins”.
Also I was influenced by a piece of work by Jeff Koons it is a painting of wigs one cheese. I found this very interesting how he was using the hair to make a face form without it even being there, you could tell what was meant to be there as you looked at it from a glance. I also liked the use of the lips and the background of trees and flowers; it gives the piece almost a collage look to it. For me the painting is of a representation of women maybe to him? Maybe this is how he sees the female form. This was something I wanted to capture In my own work, things that represented me.
