Hand Maid Film Makers
Sweet 'Art shall be hosting a program of feminist art films during the course of the Hand Maid show featuring works by the following artists.
Alice Wyatt
Alice Wyatt graduated from the university of Westminster in 2015 and works in various mediums. Most recently she has made sculptural works and short films. Alice has many achievements, In 2011 Alice was awarded a Gold Scholarship to study at university and once graduated was awarded the Bobby Black Memorial Award, achieving excellence during her time at University.
The film 'weeing' has the same quality of early puppetry programs. The doll/figure that Alice made is inanimate, made by the removal of the puppeteer. The subject in all films explores the likeness to the living. The lack of care, the naïve perspectives on the female body and relationships create portraying shameful and unkind images. An immature, innocent and raw perspective, this naivety transfers the emotion through the imagery and on to the viewer.
"My work burdens truth and sensitivity that triggers emotional responses."
Anita Woods
Anita Woods studied at the West London Institute of Education and qualified as a teacher of art. She then emigrated to Australia and began a life of many varied vocations. Then in her fifties undertook another degree in Visual Arts and the University of Sydney. Thankfully for us she has finally arrived back in the United Kingdom.
"Our hearts have their own consciousness; they are much more than a simple pump, and our emotions arise from the body’s consciousness expressing our inner conditions that the mind may take note and concede to equilibrium. My work attempts to express the temporality of our changing emotions as the body bids against the mind to find equilibrium."
In the film "Perseverance" Anita attempts to express how our spine and the muscles that support it continually try to find equilibrium during various states of emotion. "As within the video, sometimes we are alone and at others we are supported. At times our lives are turbulent, at others quiet."
Bebe Bentley
Bebe Bentley currently studies at the University of Brighton, focusing on Moving Image and experimental filmmaking. Bebe's work focuses primarily on the female form, women's trauma, sex education and the ageing process. Bebe works both digitally and on 16mm film. Bebe researches into women's health, healing and promotes a healthy attitude towards the body and sex.
Bebe's latest film "A Letter To..." began with the documentation of the healing process, specifically dealing with female trauma and abortion. However, this exploration in itself ended up being somewhat traumatic. Taking inspiration from Czech artist Jan Svankmajer’s decalogue “Before you start making a film, write a poem, paint a picture, create a collage or write a novel” she began writing letters to various people affected by/influencing my depression/anxiety.
Jennifer Kaplan-Ortiz
Based out of North West London, Jennifer Kaplan-Ortiz is a Puerto Rican artist with a focus in photography and mixed media based projects. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree with a concentration in Photography and a minor in Graphic Design from Dominican University in Illinois, and her Master of Arts in Creative Entrepreneurship from the University of East Anglia in England.
"My work is based around ‘Pelo Malo’ or ‘Bad Hair’, a term used in Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries to describe curly and Afro-Caribbean hair. These hair types are viewed as an unattractive quality, prompting women, including myself, to subject themselves to extreme measures/processes to achieve an idealized look of straight hair. This series is focused on women affected by this stigma, especially within the Black and Latin American communities and how these depictions of beauty raise deeper issues, such as racial and gender discrimination. These beautiful yet equally grotesque pieces explore the beauty of hair types,while acknowledging the ugly truths that often lie beneath."
Jennifer will be screening "Get Pretty!" as part of our feminist film program
Kirsty McKenzie
Kirsty McKenzie is a Canadian artist & costume designer. She prolifically creates paintings, drawings, mixed media collages, costumes, interiors, performance, sound and video installations; as well as her own Universe.
Kirsty's art explores the objectification of women, with prominent themes of feminism, obsession and addiction. She infuses these topics with humour and a child-like exuberance, with simplification and distortion of forms, and a brazen use of colour. She has shown her work internationally, and appeared on BBC One as well as in i-D Magazine and The Guardian to name but a few. She currently “lives her art” in her magical maximalist studio in East London.
“Cat Lady” is a feminist portrait of a hissterical woman obsessed with cats while also being allergic to them. She creates a particular and peculiar Universe and takes the viewer into her cluttered cat-filled cramped padded cell, where she is holed up with her cats. There is an almost shamanic vibe to this insane goddess, as she sits in the lotus position beneath a feline shrine, and rattles a box of cat food like a tribal maraca. Her descent into madness is riddled with hallucinations, asthma attacks and a crescendo of obsession and addiction.
Madeleine Bates
Madeleine ss a practicing artist and Fine Art graduate from Chelsea College of Arts and lives and works in South London. She has been involved in a variety of exhibitions in the UK and is one of the founders of the art platform 'Chroma.'
Madeleine's film "Fancy" is a piece in which she recorded herself dancing until she no longer had the energy to continue. The video explores the exploitation of female creatives. Inspiration and music taken from the song 'fancy' by bobby gentry. The song is the story of a woman from a poor family who is advised by her Mother use her body to essentially make money. Bobby Gentry's movement is slight but sexualised and her outfit is very distinctive. From this I have recreated elements of the video to address concerns within todays culture.