Nudes & American Awakening
American Awakening—a radiant celebration of the feminine power—is the vision I hold for every woman on earth. For this series, I painted mature bodies in different positions to represent strength, freedom, and sacredness and to transcend the limited portrayal of women from mainstream media. At the same time, I defied the social status quo of beauty that is so prevalent in modern western societies.
I worked with only one model for these paintings, manipulating her appearance by changing her skin color, facial structure, and hairstyle to depict the fleetingness of our racial identities In this way, I also presented a unity between all of the women. The exhibition portrayed one self, inhabiting all of the different bodies, and as such declared a shared oneness independent of our racial identities.
The objects scattered around the women are symbols of the tedious aspects of our lives. These objects represent the burdens of our material reality, reflecting the decadence of our materialistic culture. The serpent that appears in most of the paintings symbolizes the sacred dimension, known in India as the Kundalini Shakti—the divine, creative, cosmic power that lies within all beings.
