ARTIST STATEMENT
My mixed-media sculptural work explores women’s rights. Women are strong and capable leaders. When I see our rights being stripped away, such as access to abortion, I feel compelled to take action. Rights that were once established now seem unstable. One of my pieces addresses the Second Amendment, which states that the people have the right to form a well-regulated militia to protect their rights against a tyrannical government. In this artwork, I depict women joining forces to create their own militia. In another piece, I show a mama bear screaming for her rights. We must protect our rights with the same intensity that a mama bear shows when protecting her cubs. We need to resist and fight back not with violence but through peaceful resistance. We should support one another and work to help society recognize our value.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Kristen Martin-Aarnio is a mixed-media painter, sculptor, and performance artist. She recently received the individual artist finalist award from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for her sculptural work. Kristen holds art degrees from Greenfield Community College in Massachusetts and the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is an active member of ProArts NJ and the National Association of Women Artists. Throughout her career, Kristen has participated in numerous exhibitions, including those at the Queens Museum of Art in New York, the New Jersey State Museum, the Venice Biennale in Italy, ICA Watershed in Boston, and the Monmouth Museum in New Jersey. Currently, she resides in Bayonne, New Jersey, and has an art studio at Project Studios in Jersey City, NJ.
© Kristen Martin-Aarnio