Body of Work: Linda Stein’s Sculpture Coming to Neil Britton Gallery
The Fluidity of Gender exhibit, latest in Manhattan-based artist and activist’s provocative “Knights” series, to open Jan. 5, 2011
By Leona Baker | December 14, 2010
(NORFOLK/VIRGINIA BEACH, VA) What is gender? Is it possible to shift gender roles or even defy them altogether as easily as we might change our clothes? And how can one comic book heroine and her Lasso of Truth “cra-ac-ck” through our most deeply engrained gender stereotypes?
Successful Manhattan-based artist and tireless activist Linda Stein grapples with these and other intriguing questions in her “Knights” sculpture series, the latest installation of which, The Fluidity of Gender: Sculpture by Linda Stein, will be on display Jan. 5- Feb. 16, 2011, in the Neil Britton Art Gallery on the campus of Virginia Wesleyan College. Stein will make a special appearance on Jan. 11 at 6 p.m. that includes a lecture and multimedia presentation as well as a chance for select audience members to “change skins” by donning one of the artist’s sculptures. A reception will follow.
The exhibit includes larger-than-life torsos constructed of leather and metal with buckles, zippers and other adornments as well as acrylicized-paper hung on coat rack or walls or draped on mannequins. The figures juxtapose armor-clad foreboding with a supple beauty that is at once jarring and inviting. Many are black and metallic and others are plastered in the primary colors and pop imagery of the artist’s favorite fixation, Wonder Woman.
The evolution of Wonder Woman’s iconic character from feminist archetype to sexist stereotype and beyond is a frequent theme in Stein’s work. Since 9-11, when Stein found herself running away from the collapsing Twin Towers, which stood not far from her studio, her work has been greatly influenced by the interplay of strength and vulnerability that characterized that experience.
Stein’s exhibit at VWC is sponsored by the Winter Session Program, The Student Activities Council, The Journal of American Culture, The Women's and Gender Studies Program, and The Art Department. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact John Rudel with the Art Department and the Neil Britton Art Gallery at 757.455.3257 or e-mail jrudel@vwu.edu.
About Linda Stein
Linda Stein’s work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions around the country and the world and is included in numerous public and private collections. She is a sought-after writer, lecturer, and performer particularly for her expertise on the topics of gender identity and sexism. Stein is the art editor of On the Issues magazine. Her infamous appearance in the film Borat has generated important dialogue in the national media and solidified her role as a feminist leader.
About the Neil Britton Art Gallery
Opened in February 2009, the Neil Britton Art Gallery was created during the modernization of Virginia Wesleyan’s Henry Clay Hofheimer II Library and is an exhibition space for the perpetual and exclusive display of student and professional artists' works. Measuring 1,200 square feet with a closed floor plan, the gallery is a welcoming space for classroom instruction and exhibition openings with minimal disruption.
For media inquiries, contact Leona Baker at lbaker@vwu.edu or 757.233.8757.
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