In this exhibition, The Chase, we explore the narrative structures of European tapestries. We are drawn to the tapestries created before the Renaissance due to the interesting ways in which they arrange space and render the figure. In our examination of these pre-modern tapestries, we found ourselves drawn to one of the most common central metaphorical narratives: The Hunt.
Often pre-modern tapestries presented hunting as an allegorical reference to the relationship between men and women, ... view more »
In this exhibition, The Chase, we explore the narrative structures of European tapestries. We are drawn to the tapestries created before the Renaissance due to the interesting ways in which they arrange space and render the figure. In our examination of these pre-modern tapestries, we found ourselves drawn to one of the most common central metaphorical narratives: The Hunt.
Often pre-modern tapestries presented hunting as an allegorical reference to the relationship between men and women, with this relationship conventionally representing men as masculine predators actively pursuing the passive feminine prey. Our work inverts this tendency and associates the feminine with the hunting dogs and the masculine with the stag to subvert historical depictions of gender roles. We have structured the exhibition in such a way that we introduce setting, character, and plot through a series of 2-dimensional and sculptural works. The narrative is resolved in a monumental fabric piece, creating a space for alternatives to the masculine-feminine binary. We are offering a contemporary interpretation of the hunting narrative that integrates our present understanding of the ambiguity of gender.
As individual artists and collaborators, we are both interested in gender and how it is enacted in our world. Our personal studio practices are distinctly different, but in collaborative art-making we have experienced a great amount of freedom. We have found immense value in the unique perspectives that we each bring to this work and have been thrilled at how together we have been able to accomplish things that we could not individually.
As the exhibition displays a desire for a new understanding of gender within societal narratives, our collaborative art practice likewise reflects a championing of communal creative experience that diverges from the conventional model of isolated creative practice. We hope that viewers experience the same playfulness, humor, and joy that we encountered as makers.
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