ARTIST STATEMENT
My practice explores the implications of femininity as it is imposed upon the body. Through a trifecta of symbolism, sensation, and gesture, my still-life compositions expand on the tension between pleasure and pain. My work balances seductive decadence with nauseating excess; sensuality with violence, emulating the sensibilities of 17th-century Flemish memento mori still-life paintings. Beyond the veil of eroticism, lies the imposition of femininity found in gendered and heteronormative canons put upon the body. Imposed ornamentation manifests itself in energetic patterning and draping, the rhythm and cadence of which mirror the body’s sense of paralyzing urgency during moments of anxiety and shame, prompted by the intrusion of the male gaze. Gesture and the posturing of symbolic objects and figuration introduce moments of discomfort and masochism, exploring acts of self soothing. Juxtaposing sensations implicate and immerse the viewer; sopping wet and bone-dry, odiferous and fragrant, silky and sharp, itchy and lush; shrill feeling in some areas, and languid in others. Untouched by the male gaze, femininity is inherently cyclical, sensual, and fluid. I use the surrealist mechanism of transfiguration in my work, allowing the compositions to undulate from pattern to object to sensation seamlessly. This flow mimics the nature of the feminine life cycle, from girlhood to womanhood, and unearths its psychological weight.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Tara Sabini (she/her) is a maximalist image maker based in Chicago, Illinois. Through a trifecta of symbolism, sensation and gesture, Tara’s still life compositions combine the decadent sensitibities of Flemish memento mori paintings with the poetics of the surrealist zeitgeist, giving way to an examination of the psychological weight and fragility of the feminine life cycle. Tara holds a BFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design, and has exhibited work in numerous galleries across Illinois, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Most recently, Tara was a 2024-2025 Artist-in-Residence at Lillstreet Art Center and recently opened her first solo exhibition, Shrill Times in Paradise, at the Center’s Annex Gallery.
© Tara Sabini