Lauren Bennett

Expressing sex and sexuality in art through the female gaze is, historically speaking, loaded. It is only within the last few decades that it has become socially acceptable for sex to be presented as content by my female contemporaries. Being aware of this reality, I became drawn to the use of sexuality as a way to express a range of ideas including power, identity, human relationships, and societal structures.

My work relies heavily on line, space, and abstraction. I view my drawings as an abbreviated retelling of a moment or idea through the use of iconographic symbolism, a language I am piecing together with imagery that is in part borrowed and alternatively of my own design. This is happening in tandem with the way our virtual communication is being re-scripted with the use of shorthand, acronyms, and emoticons. I feel very conscious of the way these technological shifts have affected my perception of the world around me and the passage of time, and I’ve chosen to use that in my process.

Appalachian State University
BFA Studio Art
2013