Artist Statement For A Body of Work series

FRANCES ELIZABETH MATASSA

A BODY OF WORK, 2017 - Present

ACRYLIC ON CANVAS AND WOOD BOARD

“A Body of Work" is an exploration of personal history, feminine sexuality and expansion through postures of the human body. Through the abstraction and distortion of form, this series of acrylic paintings expresses the feeling of constraint and compartmentalization after experiencing sexual trauma.

Layers of highly saturated limbs are created in reference to an archive of photos of the artist during her seven years living with anorexia and bulimia. The vibrant color palettes create a juxtaposition between content and medium and invite the viewer into new habits of perception. Matassa, like many other victims of sexual assault, often felt small, unheard and unseen. The paintings in "A Body of Work" work toward reversing the deterioration of the body as it folded in on itself in an effort to take less space. Each piece acts as a reminder to the bodies it represents that they are deserving of the space they inhabit.