Rachel Hovnanian "Power & Burden of Beauty"

Jason McCoy, Inc. (Midtown)

poster for Rachel Hovnanian "Power & Burden of Beauty"

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This multi-media installation expands Hovnanian's ongoing exploration of the seductive quality of memories and deep stereotypes as they pertain to beauty. It also reflects the artist's lifelong struggle to make sense of her place in a society that continually puts women and beauty on a pedestal – as a way to garner one's intelligence, importance and role. While Hovnanian's previous body of work, entitled Preservation of the Narcissus, was inspired by society's obsession with preserving beauty as a means to preserve youth, Power & Burden of Beauty explores how beauty can both empower those who possess it, but also emotionally as well as psychologically challenge those who strive for it in vain. Hovnanian's visual vocabulary includes pageant winners in the artist's home state of Texas, along with their trophies, flowers, tiaras and formal wear, as well as paintings and sculptures of swimsuits, cosmetics and the retail environment that surrounds and supports them. Overall, the installation unfolds as a study of how beauty is ritualized in society, be it at home or in the media. Allowing the viewers to come to their own conclusions, Hovnanian presents us with imagery that refers to how women are valued for their physical appearance.

[Image: Rachel Hovnanian "Beauty Queen Totem" (2009) Carrara bianco marble 11 ft. Courtesy of the artist and Jason McCoy, Inc., New York]

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from November 10, 2009 to December 22, 2009

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