Cat Smith
I am a surrealist currently studying my final year of fine art based in the North East. I work with a plethora of mediums, favoring printmaking (primarily relief printing processes) & painting, acrylic is my preferred choice. My current practice explores the figurative narrative of the internalized femme fatale through the use of collage-esque paintings and prints, striving to eradicate the unspoken autocracy and biased attitudes implemented within both society & the industry, alongside prioritizing inclusivity and representation.
Preeminent authorities within my practice are the works of Carrie Ann Baade, Frida Kahlo, and Judith Bernstein. I frequent the process of photomontage, curating concatenations of enigmatic images and obscurities to work from. Contextual influences primal to the symbolism, and employment of religious and satirical motifs adorned by perplexing pictorials within my work.
I hope to visually transcribe themes of politics, societal taboos, and conflict. Being a survivor (*Trigger Warning*) of rape and abuse, I compose works that shift the objectification of women/xn onto men and celebrate women/xn's bodies as they are, rather than the subject of demeaning discussion and sexualization.
CAT’S ARTWORK
'Persistence.' Digital drawing
Close-up form Catcalling is Not a Compliment. (Jar of heads.)
Close-up form Catcalling is Not a Compliment.
'Empowerment.' Gold inked lino print over black sugar paper
'Viva la Vulva.' Digital drawing
‘Trump of Turds.' Digital drawing
“No longer will the term ‘boys will be boys’ be spoken, instead ‘boys will be held accountable’ will be coined.”
A paragon to my practice is to include imagery decorated by objects symbolic of femininity. I choose to embellish and saturate my works with both literal and figurative notorieties. Evincing images referring to historical progressions, i.e., the women’s suffrage movement are fundamental within each composition. My work is divided into two bodies, one displaying typical feminine nuances using animals and flowers, and the second predisposes a juxtaposition following a political narrative, depicted in work such as 'Trump of Turds.' The contrasting bodies of work were a calculated decision, as I wanted to depict stereotypical effeminate, elusive imagery that would seduce the audience, to lure them into a false sense of delicacy and refinement, to then avail the stark reality of society today. I want the audience to resonate with and understand the conformities and scrutinization women/xn have, and continue to be subjected to.
The general consensus within my work is to explore the uprising social and political emancipation of women, inclusivity to both cis and trans females, and representation to all who relate.
