Mari Giacopelli

Throughout my career, I find myself most interested in creating work that explores my relationship with femininity. As a gender nonconforming lesbian, I love being feminine, but sometimes I also really hate being feminine. This body of work, “The Performance”, is all about the performance of gender. I used symbols of femininity that felt almost theatrical (i.e. white gloves, pearls) in order to push the idea that gender is a performance. The portraits depict an individual who is literally putting on a show. Her gestures emphasize her discomfort, and the idea of being trapped inside of our assigned genders. This series is all about captivating my love-hate relationship with womanhood, my sexuality, and my body.