Mad Art Gallery is proud to present Alterations: The Quest for Beauty, Symmetry and Perfection, work by Amanda Lee Dickson, MFA thesis show. This exhibit opens on Friday, May 1, 2009, and continues through May 6, 200.
Amanda Lea Dickson is a third year graduate student and MFA candidate in the Department of Art and Design's painting program at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. She received her BFA in Studio Arts and a BA in Psychology from Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas, in 2006. Her work has been shown in numerous shows within the Midwestern region. She has received awards in juried shows locally. Her work has been included in publications such as Photographer's Forum magazine. She has taught drawing courses and is currently teaching a painting course for the Department of Art and Design at SIUE, Edwardsville.
Please join us for a free opening reception on Friday, May 1, 2009, from 7:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m.
Artist's Statement
My work is an exploration of the various systems that we encounter as humans operating within our society. My recent focus is on the system of beauty as it relates to the ever-expanding business of cosmetic surgery. The imagery in this work is both specific and representational in nature, as well as more abstract, pulling from imagery involved with plastic surgery such as diagrams, tools, etc., that are used for surgical procedures, in a variety of media. This work explores the use of materials such as canvas, paper, wax and paint as a metaphor for human skin. There is often present in my work juxtapositions between organic and industrial materials. The materials themselves open up a discussion regarding the dichotomy between the booming business of cosmetic surgery and the reality of existing within one's own body.
Some major dichotomies discussed within my work include linear modes of construction vs. organic form; cosmetic surgery's use of synthetic materials vs. the alteration of natural materials such as skin and cartilage; hygienic maintenance vs. superficial vanity; rigidity vs. fluidity and fragility; scientific paradigms vs. natural processes; precision vs. intuition; cold sterile tools vs. warm flesh; the incising and stitching of the flesh vs. the natural repercussions such as bruising that occur as a result; objective, scientific data juxtaposed with subjective interpretations of experiencing these medical procedures; and beautiful vs. the grotesque. My work discusses self-perceptions and body image as it relates to the quest for the unattainable, mythical, ideal image for which we futilely strive to achieve. I am addressing our society's desire for beauty, symmetry, and perfection in, showing the drastic measures that some individuals are willing to take in an attempt to attain these qualities.
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