ARTIST STATEMENT
My most recent series of drawings explores questions of bodily autonomy alongside the social, emotional, and physical aspects of having children. Motherhood is emphasized as a cultural ideal, even as we cut the systems and programs that would support would-be parents. Structural inequality drives higher maternal mortality for people of color as they navigate our healthcare system. Restrictions on reproductive care limit our basic rights of how and whether to become a parent. This backdrop of challenges creates a contrast with the exalted expectation that parenting will be ‘the best thing you ever do’.
In the space of my artwork, the joy and pain of these decisions commingle. Materiality plays a key role: Thread sewn into fragile surfaces both evokes ideas of feminine craft and the functional stitching of sutures. Stitching can draw disparate layers together, but it must puncture the surface to do so. In certain pieces, the presence of this material is subdued: white thread on white paper provokes ideas of what may go unseen, drawing an analogy to the work of women and mothers. It is my desire to provoke questions about how these dynamics exist and shape our culture, to shed light on the resilience of those who fight to secure choices for themselves and their futures.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Joanna Hoge (born 1989) is a queer artist and designer based in Denver, Colorado. They apply their background in psychology and interest in medicine to create works that explore the dynamic between subjective identity and objectifiable body. In these drawings, collected narratives are translated into visual allegories in which healing and trauma hold space. Hoge received a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Louis University in 2011. She received a Master of Fine Arts from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville in May 2016 under the tutelage of Brigham Dimick. Her work has been exhibited both locally and nationally at galleries and venues including Reese Gallery (MO), Art Saint Louis (MO), The Edwardsville Art Center (IL), Next Gallery (CO), and The Drawing Room (CT). Joanna has most recently exhibited drawings at the Columbia City Gallery in Seattle, Washington and at the Louisville Art Association in Louisville, Colorado. They are the recipient of several grants including an Artist Residency Grant from the Horned Dorset Colony in Upstate New York, a Research Grant for Graduate Students from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, and an Artist Support Grant from the Regional Arts Commission in Saint Louis. Joanna Hoge currently serves on the board of directors for the Good Hart Artist Residency, a program that provides time and space for professional artists, writers, and musicians based in upstate Michigan.
© Joanna Hoge