Manga Meets Modern In The Work of Jessica Lichtenstein.

Antique chairs paired with risqué textiles and large mounted word sculptures, inside of which lie stylized fetishized illustrations of women frolicking in landscapes, are the some of the ways in which Manga and Modern are incorporated into the work of artist Jessica Lichtenstein. The artist also has a current series of Manga figurines in plexiglass boxes that I am not including in this post.

Yum:

details:

above: UV Printed on Acrylic, 45 x 81 1/2 x 2 in | 114.3 x 207 x 5 cm

Play:



detail:

above: UV Printed on Acrylic, 37 x 89 1/2 x 2 in | 94 x 227.3 x 5 cm

XOXO:

detail:

above: UV printed on acrylic, 22 x 48 x 4 inches | 56 x 122 x 10

Lust:

detail:


above: UV Printed on Acrylic, 38 x 88 1/4 x 4 in | 96.5 x 221.5 x 10.2 cm

War:


detail:

above: UV Printed on Acrylic, 45 x 91 x 4 1/4 in | 114.3 x 231 x 10.7 cm

Bloom:


detail:

close-ups:

above: UV printed on acrylic, LED lights, and stainless steel, 33 x 75 x 4 in | 84 x 190.5 x 10.3 cm


The Chairs:





King Chair:


textile detail:

above: Twill fabric, fiberglass and resin, 56 x 29 1/2 x 25 in | 142.3 x 74.9 x 63.5 cm


Queen Chair:


Textile detail:


above: Twill fabric, fiberglass and resin, 38 1/2 x 34 x 27 in | 97.8 x 86.3 x 68.6 cm


Princess Chair:


textile detail:

above: Twill fabric, fiberglass and resin, 43 3/4 x 37 x 31 in | 111 x 94 x 79 cm

Porter Chairs:


above: twill fabric, fiberglass, resin, leather and metal studs, measurements unknown

Jessica is presently showing at Gallery Nine5:



Gallery Nine 5

About the artist:

photo by ©Sunnie Rizzolo

Jessica Lichtenstein, above, lives and works in New York City.

Using the female body as a mechanism to explore deeper themes of power, female representation, fetishism and objectification, usually in an ironic and cheerful way, Lichtenstein’s work embodies the very paradox she is trying to explore. Her work consciously plays with the boundaries of power, commercialization, consumerism, fantasy and propriety, provoking tensions that challenge the viewer to confront his or her own gaze.

Lichtenstein expands her media to include graphic design, 3D text sculptures, light boxes and fabric. The artist strives for the presentation of her work to echo her ideas – art should ultimately entertain. Lichtenstein reveals her playful nature with complex pieces that divulge their depth only with a closer look – a cherry tree image on a light box is actually a composite of X-rated sirens. The viewer is asked to re-examine the nature of enticement – are the accompanying phrases and speech bubbles amatory or garish? Each vignette in Lichtenstein’s installations is a slate upon which the viewer may consider his or her own notions of sexuality. (courtesy of Gallerynine5)

images courtesy of the artist
Jessica Lichtenstein

Doll Limb Art and Altered Barbies. The Wonderfully Weird Work of Deborah Colotti.

above: The Body Bureau by Deborah Colotti

above: A Lawn of Legs by Deborah Colotti

A few of my favorite textiles, installations, assemblages and altered Barbies by artist Deborah Colotti of Sebastopol.

Deborah describes herself and her assemblages as follows:
"I am angry. I am hopeful. I am cynical, yet full of humor. Whereas my working environment is surrounded by vast natural vistas for peaceful appreciation, my studio is loaded with objects and references gathered for their qualitative symbolism, as well as their emotive and aesthetic appeal. My mind roams around seeking connections between the absurd and the commonplace that I then pare down to essential personal and social symbols. As I arrange and rearrange the objects layered meanings are revealed and developed."

Assemblages/ Sculptures:

The Hunters:

A Slice of Boyhood:

Spinal(and detail):

A Tree of Limbs:


Installations:



above: wireframes with doll limbs for installations Lawn of Legs and Circle of Legs.

Circle of Legs:

Mannequin Territory:


Christie Tweet:

Christine Tweet (detail):

Jaws and Barbs:



For many years, she has toyed with the Barbie icon. In 1996, she began the ongoing series "the Barbs". To date, she have created over 150 interpretations of Barb in the real world. Here are some of my favorite from her Barbs collection:

The Barbs

A Gun of Barb's:

Barbie Virus 3:

Leggy Goggles:

Barbie Legs Mirror (straight):

Barbie Legs Mirror (bent):

Poop'd Barbie:

Harem Boy with Bra of Nails:

Barbie Trinity:


Her textile works integrate obsolete and broken items from her own household (especially toys), hand-me-rounds from her family, and discards from her friends.

Textiles

Ladies:

I Am An Animal:

Mom and Another Birthday Cake:

Conversations with father:

See more of her work at her website