Amanda Jean Iverson

Almost Ready (2019)
porcelain and found vanity, installation
57 × 45 × 27 in.

I am fascinated by consumerism, beauty, advertising, and all the external forces that propel capitalism. I notice the pressure of advertising on everyday living, our world becoming more and more saturated with adverts on what to eat, drink, wear, and look like. My work exploits these everyday objects, making them carry meaning. I find creating art therapeutic and helpful in understanding my own unique experience. My goal is to share, and hope others can find a connection to these objects. My primary medium is ceramic, with varying surface treatments.

Almost Ready is about the constant struggle of keeping up with our appearances. The beauty industry, social media, and consumers are constantly pushing the bar of beauty, creating a constant drive for more and more products. Enhance this, hide that, women’s bodies are constantly going in and out of style. Cosmetics have made it possible to alter our appearances to better fit the molds that the beauty industry are constantly creating for us. Unfortunately these same products and advertisements create feelings of inadequacies and body shame for many young women. Over 30% of all women wear makeup every single day. Many of theses same women feel uncomfortable leaving the house without makeup. Getting ready is another way women lose time and money when compared to men. For so many of us we think very little about the makeup we use to get ready, however we will quickly notice the consequences when we choose not to wear it. (IL)

© Amanda Jean Iverson