Girl So Fine• 2007, oil on wood, 10cm x 15cm
Raunchy, suggestive illustrations with strange pseudo-human characters leave viewers unnerved, but at the same time, engaged in a conversation of questions. What is going on and why?? Melissa Stekbauer‘s works can place the viewer in a vulnerable, almost submissive, state, allowing her characters some authority. Her works present interesting narratives, especially because they are paired with a softer painting technique, which can feel more inviting and friendly than the actual content of the work. Maybe that’s why it’s “seductive”?
Running In Place
Living in a Square
Batboy
Strong
Stekbauer also co-launched the International Artist Collective New York-Wien in 2007.
“The aim of the International Artist Collective New York-Wien is to bring awareness to issues of space, identity, sexuality, and gender. The project, Modes of Gazing, Watching, and Being Observed documents gender identity through representation, as well as modes of watching by addressing the human gaze as culturally produced.”
