Created by Tess Howsam with Mila Villasana
Howsam Artist Statement
I embrace the connective theme of past as present.
The installation “Corseted Community,” inspired by iconic artist Frida Kahlo, considers the paradox of restriction and support. Diverse Mexican and US women artists created plaster casts of their torsos. The corset interior provides a canvas for artistic expression. The exterior is collaged with newspaper headlines. What role do these headlines play in our lives? Does the news further divide us? How does the language of our political times bleed into the psyche of our communities? This network of suspended, interconnected torsos symbolizes our shared community - free from walls, borders, and nationalities that too often separate us.
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