Caged

Caged. Oil on canvas. 20×20. 2011.

Caged is about lack of freedom, particularly the freedom of a woman in a male-dominated society.  In this work I reflect on my own experiences as a female artist and also on experiences of other women whose stories I had either read or heard

I did not realize how much my life was affected by living in a patriarchal society in Russia until I moved to America. Studying art history opened my eyes to many stories of female artists. Linda Nochlin’s article, “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” was especially insightful. Another book that created a strong impression on me was Peeling Potatoes, Painting Pictures by Renee Baigell and Matthew Baigel.  It was a very interesting compilation of interviews with contemporary women painters in post-Soviet Russia, Latvia and Estonia. You could see several different approaches to how these women saw themselves. Some of them admitted the limitations and discussed it freely. Some stated that it is true that women are inferior to men as artists, but felt they were are an exception. Some refused to talk about it at all.

Caged expresses my feelings towards the immobility and disruption that I felt, and possibly many women artists feel.