ARTIST STATEMENT
The phrase “quiet piggy” is derogative beyond measure. Deliberately intended to demean, and intentionally meant to degrade. Looking to flip the script, my interpretation seeks to transform the phrase from one used against women, to one where the toxicity is tossed aside fearlessly, in glee and in joyous elegance. Where women are in charge- exalted, honored and empowered. Where a female driven narrative revels in feminine beauty, intrinsic strength and intelligence, actively disregarding the intended insult.
I took inspiration from the 1907 French short film “Le Cochon Danseur” (The Dancing Pig), where an anthropomorphic pig flirts with a young girl but then is fabulously taunted and dominated by her as the action unfolds. In the midst of the bizarre, jubilant performance, female empowerment steals the show.
This composition celebrates the confident, wily, merry authority of the young woman in “Le Cochon Danseur,” with the pig being presented for consumption; stuffed, baked and served as a juicy suckling delight. Rejoicing in female sovereignty, women take the reins in this realm- winking with humor, standing with resilience and evoking quiet grace and style.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Rebecca Steiner is an analog collage artist. Steiner’s background is in art history, with professional experience at galleries and museums, and independent efforts that include creating and directing a crowd-sourced photography project “The Average Joe Photo Show.”
Steiner’s collages explore visual codes and perceptions of taste in the social construction and framing of gender and identity through the lens of domesticity, nostalgia, fashion and style. Playing with art historical and cultural imagery, theatrical vignettes celebrate tropes of beauty, desire, and extravagance. They invite the viewer to indulge in the moment on display and to disconnect through a dream world fantasy, while reflecting on the complexity and legacy of stereotypes and privilege.
Steiner’s work has been featured in Kolaj Magazine, in a newly illustrated edition of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” (Kolaj Institute, 2024), in the ongoing holiday project “Miss Florence’s Artist Trees” (Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, CT), and group exhibitions including Every Woman Biennial 2024 (La MaMa Galleria, New York, NY), MAPSpace (Port Chester, NY), Hudson Valley MOCA (Peekskill, NY), Bristol Art Museum (Bristol, RI), National Association of Women Artists (New York, NY) and Woman Made Gallery (Chicago, IL). Instagram © Rebecca C. Steiner
© Rebecca C. Steiner