Above Reproach

2022 

Screenprint

11 x 8.5''

Edition Varied

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In Above Reproach, a woman stands with her nose up and eyes regarding you. In real life, she is a news anchor I met, coincidentally, on a school field trip. We were exploring women in “power” in the community. She was very nice, approachable, and wearing a red dress. But in Above Reproach, she is a Headmistress, a Family Matriarch, a Boss, a person of privilege, a person with pride (not to say she was none of those things when I met her). At the time I took the photo, she was in deep conversation, using her hands to prove a point, about expectations of women in the news industry. Hypocritical things, things you might expect, but also her personal experiences, which she shared very clearly. 

 

The original image was processed in photoshop to generate the two-toned, posterized image. However, I heavily altered the shape of the lips to be disapproving, rather than the neutral they were before. The contrast of the black paper and white ink, with the majority of the image bring black, added a deliberate seriousness to the image. The lack of detail anywhere other than the face makes the face the focal point, specially the shape of the eyes and downturn of the lips.