Installation ~ Odalisque Project

Odalisque in Red Room | 2002 | mixed media installation

Odalisque in Red Room is an installation designed to comment on the concept of beauty, and question the perception of woman. The piece calls to mind the myriad of artists in history who have used the Odalisque to suggest an ideal of beauty from the male perspective. The work comments on the state of mind of the object on display rather than the artist, however in this case they are one and the same.

The work consists of a chaise lounge, the seat of which contains a life size self-portrait digitally printed on Japanese rice paper with pigmented inks. The viewer experiences the piece through the gilt mirror, which hangs on the opposing wall of a sixteen foot square red room that is tented with black fabric on the ceiling. The only light in the room is focused on the chaise. The piece is meant to be interactive.

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