What I want to explore:

My intention is to explore the theme of empowerment, rebellion and disobeying social expectations and stereotypes within women specifically. I wish to maintain the aesthetic of the 1970’s, through props and editing skills. Meanwhile, portraying woman as dominant and strong, rather than the expected submissive and weak typical stereotype during this era. I aim to do this through posing and angle techniques. Once I have accomplished this, I wish to make an meaningful symbol, surrounding the theme of identity, empowerment and change within women. This is suppose to be significant as this era I aim to draw too, women felt as if they were in a very patriarchal society. Whereas, Helmut Newton did the opposite of what was expected in a patriarchal society which evidently inspired me. Lastly, I wish to develop these finalized images into a magazine to portray as if I am aiming to sell fashion products through my symbolization, similarly to Kusuma. I wish to make it look as realistic as possible whilst keeping it glamourized and luxurious to link to Newton’s style.

Why it matters to me:

This specific topic matters to me because as a woman, it is comforting and refreshing to see men admiring, and pushing these social boundaries when women felt repressed to see change in a patriarchal society, potentially formed by men. Not only this, I was heavily inspired by how Yayoi confidently showed her struggles being a woman conveying the theme of identity, female body and mental health issues. I personally find this brave as her work, specifically her images including nudity was seen as controversial considering her Western culture and timeline. Yet she still successfully demonstrated what she was aiming to on a deeper level, despite the backlash.

Furthermore, I like how this could bring the debate of whether Helmut Newton made a significant and major input within women’s rights and moving into the next feminism wave. This was around the 2nd wave feminism. Although, Helmut Newton did gain backlash for beauty standards, he gained more awareness within mainstream fashion and photography which was incredibly rare during this era of time. This is because women and men did not have equal rights, therefore women were not often praised or admired. They were simply seen to take care of the household and potential children.

This representation above, illustrates how infrequent and rare it was for women to be a part of media within the 20th century. Especially in photography, fashion and the art world, which were often dominated by men. The reasoning of Kusuma’s inspiration for her work. Women were often objectified or limited to certain roles, with many media industries reinforcing traditional gender roles and stereotypes. However, as the 1970’s saw the rise of the second wave feminism and the growing presence of women in various professional spheres, some women began to break through in more visible and influential positions within the media. I believe, despite the backlash aspects, Helmut Newton’s work contributed to a change in the way women were depicted, making their portrayal more dynamic. This helped greater visibility and empowerment for women in the media following decades to the present.

How I wish to develop my project:

I wish to explore my project, by photographing images that completely differ from what was the ‘norm’ and expectations in the 70’s and 80’s, specifically within women. I wish to evidently show what society did not expect or want women to be. For example, myself or my subject will be wearing sexual yet powerful props/clothing such as stockings, dresses short or long, sunglasses, heels, red lipstick for symbolization of empowerment, work and education clothing and lastly wigs. The set up and wigs emphasises how the style I am aiming to convey, is staged photography.

The setting will be in the studio and I aim to photography myself and my subject with a white background to make the subject stand out, like a magazine cover. I wish to have little to no shadows as most magazines do not obtain this as it can be quite distracting and look unprofessional. This will contrast nicely with most of my photographs in black and white. This black and white will make it stand out against the white, and it will link to the 1970’s. Potentially, to emphasise this I could edit my images with a high grain or even use vintage boarders and blend them to make them look older. However, this can be seen as a constraint, rather than an affordance as it may look less professional which typically a magazine has to look considering I aim showing the growth, therefore future.

This photographic technique links to theatre, crafted and cinematic technique. This means, that my subject will change their normal behaviour and mannerisms considering I will be taking photographs. Therefore, posing will be set up, the lighting, props and every detail carefully crafted to reach the goal I am attempting to aim. Angle is an eye catcher to me as they can be used to demonstrate authority and dominance. This is because if an image is taken from above, with a medium looking up, this often portrays the subject as submissive and the photographer/male being more dominant and powerful as they are seen as literally higher. However, if a woman is posing proudly and strongly, in contrast to looking down at a photographer. This illustrates her gender power role, as more dominant and more powerful, which I aim to express successfully. For example,

I want my images to be developed and edited to look like a magazine cover, as if we are advertising fashion clothing and accessories to symbolise the evolution within women in the media. This links to Helmut as this is what he almost achieved, or at least took a part in this progression. This image shows an element of sexuality yet also shows glamour and high fashion.

Once I have achieved my primary objective, I will edit them into photoshop and make them look more unique. I aim to do this as I wish my developing element of this project to link more to Kusuma. This is because I want my magazine outcome to look very different to most magazines and have a certain look and aesthetic. This is because I want it to be memorable and eye catching. This illustrates how Kusuma’s work was as her work was memorable such as her unique polka dots patterns eventually leading to a collaboration with Louis Vuitton. This ending up being a symbolisation for women, which may not have been pre-planned. Therefore, I want my editing to look as if it is doing the same effect and impact. I aim to only do this for some images, as I want my overall magazine to be diversified of black and white images and colourful experimented images to include both Helmut and Yayoi.

Overall:

Overall, my narrative I wish to express is the movement and change of women, specifically the evolution of women in the media. I wish to portray this at the end of my project through a magazine, as this links to high fashion and glamour which Helmut linked too. I aim to explore this through feminine yet strong posing, props, dominant angles, and white backgrounds. As I wish to develop my project into a magazine, I have to make my images look professional to an extent. To do this, I will use the studio and make sure I get correct lighting that mostly gets rid of the shadows, as this is hardly seen in magazines. If I do this on accident, I will fix the issue in photoshoot by editing. I want my backgrounds to be plain and white so the subject stands out as much as her accessories. I also think this is useful as it benefits my Yayoi side as it will make it easier to experiment and make my unique images to make theme eye catching. This is because the subject is the most important part of the images. This will help all of them work seamlessly together once developed into a photobook through blurb. This will make outfit and theme changes more noticeable as the background will stay the same – therefore can tell apart each photoshoot. Angle is just as important as each angle needs to be taken from the same level as the subject, or below, definitely not from above as that portrays submissive as the subject will be looking up – which differs to my whole theme of dominance, empowerment and growth. This will also change whether I want shoes in the frame, legs or even the subjects face as it depends on what shot I am aiming to make. Lastly, the most draw catching is the subjects clothing and accessories. I want my subject to wear wigs to emphasise that it is staged photography and is carefully crafted. Not only this, but this makes the photos look more interesting and potentially vintage. I think it will emphasise the subjects vibe and clothing to fit into a fashion women photoshoot. I want my subject to wear symbolism such as stockings, heels and red lipstick to illustrate the empowerment. My posing choices will portray my theme significantly and I believe if I execute all of these factors carefully, it has the potential for success and my vision.

Who is he?

Helmut Newton was a German-Australian photographer. The New York Times described him as a “prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos were a mainstay of Vogue and other publications.”

From the 1970s, Newton regularly used Polaroid Instant cameras and film to get an immediate visualisation of composition and lighting, especially for his fashion photography. By his own admission, for the shoot of the “Naked and Dressed” series that started in 1981 for the Italian and French Vogue, he used Polaroid film “by the crate”. The Polaroids also served as a sketchbook, in which he scribbled notes with regard to the model, client, location and date. In 1992, Newton published Pola Woman, a book consisting only of his Polaroids. Over 300 works based on the original Polaroids were shown at 2011 exhibition, “Helmut Newton Polaroids”, at the Museum für Fotografie in Berlin.

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What was he known for?

His work often featured confident, bold, strong women with cinematic poses, combining glamorized elements to raw sensuality through nudity. Newton’s fashion photography explored themes of power, desire and voyeurism. He did this through mostly taking images of women, some what revealing, which feminist critics such as Lauren Mulvey may not see as feminine in a positive perspective. This differs to my personal study project on stereotypes as I am switching my photo shoot for women to have more power and confidence through their bodies and identity, however this may not be seen as positive as some may find his work over- sexualizing and objectifying. To contrast this raw and revealing element to his photographs, he significantly uses glamour clothing and luxurious settings. He executes this so well, that his images almost look surreal and movie-like, adding the theme of cinema and film (similarly to Cindy Sherman).

What did feminist critics feel about his work?

Feminist critics have mixed opinions about his work as Newton’s images often portrayed women as submissive, objectified or over sexualized. Some feminist critics argued the traditional gender roles and stereotypes and a male gaze, linking to my previous project surrounding the theme of how stereotypes are formed. Some critics saw his photography as a sense of voyeurism, and women were framed as objects of desire, often in provocative, passive and submissive roles. They argued that his images expressed an imbalance of power between men and women and argued the idea of women’s bodies as objects for male pleasure. However, there were also some feminist voices that argued Newton’s work argued conventional aspects of feminist by portraying women in powerful, confident and unapologetic ways. While these images may be sexually suggestive, they could also be seen as offering women autonomy and power which was ultimately rare in the mainstream fashion photography during the 1980’s. Personally, I see his work as more worshipping and admiring the female body, and expressing this through his art and photography. I think this as he matches his sexual and nudity elements to a luxurious setting, potentially portraying how women should be treated and have more power. In my opinion, his style of posing these women and dressing them gives the women a sense of confidence and power. This inspires me as I want my project around the theme of ‘union’ to be differing from my previous personal study with a link to it. Therefore, this study instead of showing society’s expectations and formed stereotypes, I wish to express the rebelling, confident and bold aspect which was not society’s standards or expectations in the 1980s. Meaning, I want to express the same theme however from a different perspective and angle.

How does his work link to ‘union’

Helmut Newton’s work links to theme of union in a feminist, political and historical way. Personally, I think Newton used women in his images sexually as he admired and saw the potential of power, women can hold. Newton frequently used women, and not men, expressing that he admired the female body and identity and wished to reinforce this especially considering this was rare in the main-stream fashion in the1980’s. I believe this through depicting women in strong, assertive poses challenging traditional gender roles, which women wanted to change their dynamic and Newton pushed this vision. He is linked to this theme through his portrayal of power dynamics, sensuality and the interplay between individuals in his iconic fashion photography. The subjects are portrayed as both vulnerable and dominance, expressing a union of oppositional qualities women have. This dynamic explores different aspects such as strength and sensuality can coexist and form a powerful identity, which I believe was Newton’s vision.

Why did I chose Newton?

I chose to study Newton as he differed from societal expectations. I believe that he saw the potential in women during the 1980’s and ultimately photographed women through admiration. This is because of how he dressed the women, how the women posed and the luxurious and glamour settings. The posing often obtained an element of power and resilience with a sexual element. He had a significant impact on fashion photography due to the rare appearance women had in the main stream photography. Although his images held a sense of voyeurism, the women were portrayed to hold power and be more dominant. Newton purposely positioned them in ways, where they were not seen as vulnerable but instead powerful. His work differed from the traditional stereotypes significantly. This beneficial for my project as my previous personal study, surrounded the theme of traditional stereotypes and argued how they are formed. Newton challenges this as he reinforced the idea of changing the typical stereotype of a women being seen as weak and vulnerable. Therefore, I aim to differ to my previous project by executing the opposite. Next, I will attempt to show a rebellious aspect and show what women wish to be, and how they have changed through the years, rather than be what men wish women to be such as the ‘traditional housewife’ and instead emphasize individuality and chosen identity.

Helmut’s photography expresses an element of sexuality, identity, beauty and societal norms. His work links to the second wave feminism. Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades, ending with the feminist sex wars in the early 1980s and being replaced by third-wave feminism in the early 1990s. This links to Newton’s work as his images were in the 80’s. I believe his work focused on the theme of women empowerment. However, Newton’s work could of emphasized beauty standards as his women are often the same size, same body type and are seen as conventionally attractive. This provoked backlash. His recurring use of a singular, idealised body type and his portrayal of women often raised concerns about the representation of women in media and the reinforcement of unrealistic beaut standards. His work and objectified figures often fitted a very narrow standard of beauty. This lead to critics to argue that his photographs contributed to the pressure on women to conform to an unattainable body type. This could have set women empowerment and resilience back, as women feel a certain pressure on them to meet these standards. However, overall I believe he reconstructed the stereotype of women as strong, dominant and assertive. This ultimately shows an element of equality.

Context

Newtons career started during the aftermath of WW2, leading into the sexual liberation movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s and the Cold War and gender dynamics. This era saw significant changes in beliefs towards sexuality, gender roles and women’s autonomy. Newton’s photography can be seen as a commentary on the ever changing dynamics of sexual expression during this time. His work expresses the shift from conservative, repressed sexual elements to a more open and expressed liberated exploration of sexuality. However, his over sexualizing and submissive figures can be argued that they are a step that reinforced patriarchal values. This is because it challenges the idea surrounding whether women were only seen as a desire for pleasure or voyeurism.

Newton’s work often tied to the concept of the “ male gaze”, a term created by the feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey. This is when women are often depicted in the media as objects of male desire and control. He does this through passive and submissive poses. This links to the historical roots of classical art, where women were often depicted as idealised, passive and sexually available figures. Newton’s work challenges this historical representation as reinforces the traditional narratives of male dominance in its visual culture.

Helmut’s consistent use of slender, tall and conventionally attractive women in his photography can be tied to the historical idealization of a particular body type in the Western culture. In the 20th century, the ‘ ideal’ body type was slim and youthful, reflecting larger cultural values. While this representation aligned with historical values about beauty, it also stood in contrast to the increasing awareness and critique of body diversity. This beauty concept reinforced harmful and unrealistic standards for women.

Historically, eroticism in art has fluctuated between periods of taboo and periods of celebration, reflecting societal changes. In the early 20th century, avant-garde movements like Surrealism explored the sexualised female body, linking to themes of power, mystery and desire. Newtons work can be seen as avant-garde exploration, where the boundary between eroticism and high art became blurred in the 1960’s and 70s. By integrating erotic themed into high-fashion photography, Newton aligned with a broader historical trend of pushing the boundaries of traditional art, even as his work was criticized for reinforcing certain regressive gender roles and dynamics.

Image Analysis

I have decided to analyse this images as it holds many contributes that stood out to me. The first thing that drew my attention was the mesh top. As shown, she is slightly nude and revealing yet still wearing clothes to contrast to this. This creates the element of modesty vs sexuality. It is showing the body figures of a woman, which I believe Newton admired and made them feel valued. This aspect is significant as it is probably the first noticeable and significant thing of this image. The way the camera is angled, from slightly below with the subject slightly turning away to the right, creates an element of mystery and potentially identity. But mostly, this brings in a sexual aspect which feminists critic as women were seen for desire for males pleasure. This creates the debate of voyeurism and the right intentions behind it. Next, this is emphasised by the subjects clothing, specifically the stockings. Newton made this evidently shown significantly through the subject’s leg sticking out of a slit of a skirt. This again, adds to the sexual theme which Newton frequently portrays. In black and white, this does make it stand out as her skin is white contrasting with her black clothing, making the stockings hard to miss. These may include the perception that stockings, and the associated use of garters, lace, high fashion, appliqué and the exposure of the thigh, are more aesthetically pleasing, or sexually attractive. Newton was known for high-fashion photography, therefore the stockings contributed to this style of his. The black waist band in contrast to the flowy skirt, accentuates her waist emphasising the female body figure and anatomy. This may have been purposeful to show women empowerment, sexuality and even identity. The low image could be to symbolize women in more dominant place, rather than being submissive and it revolving around men. Her volumized hair, links to the era these images were taken, in the 1970’s. This links to how all his images are in black and white to maintain a vintage and iconic aesthetic. Not only this, but the black and white demonstrates the subjects pale skin and dark makeup and clothing, emphasises the depth of the shadows. This depth within shadows, shows her bone structure and cheek bones. Making the awareness of the theme of femininity more portrayed. Lastly, one thing that differs this image to most of his images is that it is not in a luxurious setting and is in public. This contrasts to the medium’s clothing as her clothing is perceived as glamour. The background is rather grey, making the subject more focused. Potentially, the car could be significant as cars are stereotypically for men. This could be contrasting femininity vs masculinity and bringing into play the theme of gender roles.

How Yayoi Kusuma and Helmut link?

While both are working in different mediums and addressing different themes, they both share some connects through the exploration of identity, the body and sexuality, as well as their challenging conventional societal norms. Both focus on the human body, though in different ways. Newton is known for his eroticized and often objectified images of women’s bodies, which demonstrate the theme of power dynamics, sexuality and beauty standards. His images are frequently powerful and sexualised, yet his choice and style of poses emphasize submission or even dominance. In contrast, Kusumas work, explores the body as a site of transformation and obsession. Kusuma uses her own body in her art frequently painting herself with polka dots. This is to create the theme of self-erasure, individuality and blending her presence into her environment.

Through sexuality and gender, both artists engage with this theme significantly. Newton does this by, admiring and portraying the female body. However, his work can be seen as reinforcing traditional ideas of gender and power dynamics, especially through the lens of Laura Mulvey’s term the “male gaze”.Kusuma, on the other hand, subverts conventional ideas of sexuality and gender. She uses her art to explore the idea of sexual liberation. Her work is less conventional about beauty, desirability and the loss of self. Both artists received controversial reactions and feminist critiques.

Both artists used a sense of self representation, both Newton and Kusuma used their selves as subjects in their work, although in very different ways. Newtons work, especially in his personal photography, often placed him at the centre of the narrative, positioning himself as the creator and the voyeur. Kusuma on the other hand, used her own image to dissolve boundaries between herself and her art work. Her self-representation wasn’t about glorifying herself as a sexual object or celebrity, but about exploring the use of identity and the unity between the individual and the universe.

Who is she?

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese contemporary artist who works primarily in sculpture and installation, and she is also active in painting, performance, video art, fashion, poetry, fiction, and other arts.

Her work is based in conceptual art and shows some attributes of feminism, minimalism, surrealism, art brut, pop art and abstract expressionism and is infused with autobiographical, psychological and sexual content. She has been acknowledged as one of the most important living artists to come out of Japan, the world’s top-selling female artist, and the world’s most successful living artist. She was inspired by American Abstract Impressionism.

Embracing the rise of the hippie counter culture of the late 1960’s she came to public attention when she organized a series of happenings in which naked participants were painted with brightly coloured polka dots She experienced a period in the 1970s during which her work was largely forgotten, but a revival of interest in the 1980s brought her art back into public view. Kusama has continued to create art in various museums around the world, from the 1950s through the 2020s.

Kusama has been open about her mental health and has resided since the 1970s in a mental health facility. She says that art has become her way to express her mental problems.

“I fight pain, anxiety, and fear every day, and the only method I have found that relieved my illness is to keep creating art”

When Kusama was ten years old, she began to experience vivid hallucinations which she has described as “flashes of light, auras, or dense fields of dots”. These hallucinations included flowers that spoke to Kusama, and patterns in fabric that she stared at coming to life, multiplying, and engulfing or expunging her, a process which she has carried into her artistic career and which she calls “self-obliteration”. Kusama’s art became her escape from her family and her own mind when she began to have hallucinations. She was reportedly fascinated by the smooth white stones covering the bed of the river near her family home, which she cites as another of the seminal influences behind her lasting fixation on dots. Her artwork is often linked to these experiences, reflecting on her own inspirations.

“I followed the thread of art and somehow discovered a path that would allow me to live.”

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Why I chose Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama is a renowned Japanese artist whose work has had an influence on feminism and fashion, through her contributions are often indirect or conceptual. Kusama’s art intersects with feminism through her exportation of the body, identity especially and gender, while her influence within fashion can express her visual language, specifically her iconic and memorizing polka dots, embodying self expression, rebellion against norms and empowerment. Kusuma’s fashion and art not only challenges conventional and typical beauty standards but also highlighting women within culture and art.

One thing that stood out it me, to keep my project linking ever so slightly to feminism, meanwhile having a variety is her theme reflecting on rebellion against norms. She does this through her unique expressions through the abstract and colourful clothing choices and back drops of her images such as, this image below.

Her work links to her mental health and psychological issues, expressing identity and differences within individuals. Her public struggles, link to Nan Goldin’s linking to my previous study. I find this evident through her psychedelic perspective shown through her fashion expression. Feminist critics often read this as a critique of how women are treated in a world that silences their voices and suppresses their emotional realities. Her race and ethnic unique style contributes to her art within culture.

Kusama has explored sexuality and the body in her work, often using her body as the expression, challenging the norm of objectification and de-humanizing within women surrounding sexual identity. Her ‘accumulation’ series where everything surrounding her and her body in polka dots can be seen as self- expression that challenges societal norms about women’s bodies and the expectations they face in society. My most previous project and essay, argued that expectations and social norms can be seen to be made by men as we live in a patriarchal society, however there is also the belief that stereotypes and social standards are a social norm and are inevitable. Therefore, this links to my previous project surrounding stereotypes, but from a different perspective with different and unique contributes.

Kusama’s fashion influence is often seen to be very bold and confident. She does this through her polka dots and vibrant colours making it difficult for viewers to not be interested. The polka dot eventually became Kusama’s signature symbol of femininity. It has become symbolic for breaking free from conventional and idealised expectations in society. This therefore influences empowering women through visual identity, Kusama’s approach to fashion and art reinforced the perspective that women should not only embrace their bodies but also express themselves bodily through fashion.

This ultimately lead to collaborations with fashion brands such as Kusama’s partnership with Louis Vuitton in 2012 making a wider audience for her art and fashion. Her iconic and unique yet memorizing symbols lead to wearable accessories partnering with Louis Vuitton creating a fusion of art, fashion and feminism.

Image Analysis

Firstly, the most eye catching element that draws my attention is the polka dots, however in a very different format and pattern. Her clothing matches to the back drop through colour, but contrasts through different layout and pattern within the small circles. She does this as she is emphasizing infinite patterns and the concept of infinity. Kusuma is famously obsessed with the element of infinity, which she symbolizes frequently. By blending her own attire with the backdrop, she is expressing her potential psychological states. Kusuma also plays with ideas of identity and gender through this technique. This form could be seen as a self-erasure, where she isn’t making herself and individuality. Instead, she becomes the physical environment challenging the idea of a fixed identity. The clothing looks like a type of animal skin potentially snake. Her unique style, patterns and vibrant colours is definitely eye catching. Most importantly, Kusuma uses her self, as a subject in her art, to explore the themes of femininity, identity and obsession. Her use of her own body as her art, serves as both a personal and universal expression of her own life and experience, especially her struggles of mental health, particularly her struggles with OCD and hallucinations. By using her own body as a canvas, she creates a direct and intimate collaboration between herself and the world. The covering her body, through patterns, symbolizes her desire to erase the boundaries and expectations between herself, and society. The bold, repetitive patterns are not just a form of self expression but a way of merging her persona with her art. This expresses as a way to reinforce her identity in a larger cultural context and make her own personal narrative and experience her own creative expression. This image, is taken from a dead pan angle and style. Her expressions are very neutral, and does not obtain a dramatic perspective or excessive visual flair. This is because the subject, appears impassive, unaffected and looking direct at the camera. The lighting is more soft, to allow the colours to be much more vibrant, as the colours are very significant in these type of images as it is her type of expression in her images to signify her traditional culture.

Historical Context

Kusuma’s own life and career challenge traditional gender roles. She moved to New York in the 1950’s, a time when the art world was dominated by male figures such as Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol. She faced an element of sexism, but Kusuma’s refusal to conform to expectations made her an emblematic figure for women fighting for their place in the art world. Her boldness, resilience and unique aspect were later recognised as a feminist struggle for equality in the art world.

Her art blends with traditional Japanese aesthetics with contemporary practices, often reflects on japan’s complex history. Kusuma’s work, particularly her early work, emerged in the post-war period. This era in Joan had an influence on Western culture and a shift in social and cultural values. This links to her photo shoots obtaining nudity in the 1960’s. She used nudity to explore and challenge societal norms. She often used her own body as a medium such as “ Naked obsession” or “Body Festivals” which both included her use of expression through polka dots to cover the themes of sexuality and identity. The nudity was meant to break down the barriers between the artist and the audience and to challenge controversial modesty, sexuality and the female body. This was seen as highly controversial especially in the 1960’s in the main stream Western culture. The period was marked by shifting social attitudes towards sexuality, specifically during the sexual revolution. Kusuma’s work was seen as provocative and radical, as it went against the traditional expectations and stereotypes for how women should portray themselves in art.

The influence on Japanese traditions such as Kusama’s use of patterns, particularly her iconic and signature polka dots, connects to historical elements such as the kimono design in textiles. This link reflects her heritage and identity.

Psychological and social reflections in Kusuma’s work especially her use of infinity nets, installations and polka dots, reference themes of isolation, infinity and psychological states. This can link to her mental health issues such as OCD and hallucinations or even trauma, potentially post- war anxieties and the ever- changing field of fashion.

Overall why I decided to study Kusama and linking to union

Overall, I decided to study Kusama as she focuses on how it feels to be a woman and identity. But most importantly, rebels against the societal norms shown through her use of nudity in the 1960’s. This links to union as women as a whole within a political sense fought and rebelled through these standards and expectations to become something. This links slightly to my previous project however I focused on stereotypes. Kusama inspires me to make my project on union focusing on how women rebel through fashion specifically. Kusama clearly did this through symbols and her own experiences leading to empowerment. Fashion is stereotypically seem as more feminine as women tend to enjoy it more. Therefore, I aim to make a photo shoot linking to Kusama by making my own symbols aswell as fashion that ultimately signifies rebellion and identity and power roles within social norms within women through boldness and resilience. Kusuma deeply engages with her exploration on a personal and conceptual level. By using her body in her art, often without the conventional constraints of gender or modesty, Kusuma asserts her autonomy with her artistic practices. Ultimately challenging sexual expression. She also links to union through her heritage such as her Japanese Western traditions. She shows this through her modernist styles such as abstract expressionism and minimalism. Contributing to her Japanese culture. Kusuma presented herself as vulnerable, powerful and bold. The use of nudity became a tool for Kusuma to explore why and how female bodies were often objectified and over- sexualised.