ARTIST STATEMENT
I see my work as both a critique and a celebration of modern culture. My paintings are curiosity cabinets of pop culture and girlhood, and I focus on brevity of life as a symbol of childhood. I combine imagery to show my own layered female identity. Displaying my female identity through investigative collections, I reveal and critique the notions and expectations that gender biases have perpetualized throughout history. Serving my audience with researched concepts and ideas on a hot pink platter, I deal with the theme of validity through violent femininity. I see my work as an expression of a justified autonomy, it’s an illustration of coming of age with the notion of agency.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Veronica Clements is a Chicago-based artist and curator. She graduated from the University of Illinois in 2018 with a BFA in Painting and Art History and received her Master’s of Science in Leadership for Creative Enterprises from Northwestern University in 2023. Clements is a board member, social media manager, and curator for the Chicago Women’s Caucus for Art and Chair of the Young Women’s Caucus for Art. She is currently the Marketing & Development Coordinator at Woman Made Gallery. Most recently, Veronica curated ‘Our Delicate Armor’ at Stasia’s Gallery, a group show featuring 6 Chicago-based femme artists. The exhibition explored the conflicting societal expectations of women and the juxtaposition between being both fragile and tough at the same time.
© Veronica Clements