NADIA TRAPANI

My work questions the dynamics of media and self-worth with a subtle sense of irony. I investigate the contrast between the male gaze at women, women's gaze at one another and how women view themselves both internally and in the context of society. I'm fascinated that the camera has the ability to take a living human subject and turn it into an object. I work around ideas of photography and reference fashion advertising and traditional social roles and expectations. Roles assigned to women in media can be limited. My observations have led me to find that women in media are often overly domestic, dependent on men, or blatant sex objects. These roles are historical but in many ways still exist in contemporary media. I strive to create exaggerated metaphoric realities of women in a culturally constructed western world.

I use a diverse combination of media such as fabrics, household objects, live female models and digital photography. My working process involves the construction of objects and settings that are able to function and interact with human subjects. In my most recent work, I’ve constructed wearable head-pieces which obscure the face completely while mimicking home decor. Masking the subject’s identity also interrupts the gaze by breaking the visual accessibility of the face. Models are then placed in settings which best communicate my ideas of objectivity.