HAUTE MESS
Haute Mess - Lichtenstein
DIMENSIONS: 40(h) x 27.5(w) x 4(d)
MEDIUM: Mixed Media Sculpture Dress
YEAR: 2006
Haute Mess - Wesselmann
DIMENSIONS: 40(h) x 27.5(w) x 4(d)
MEDIUM: Mixed Media Sculpture Dress
YEAR: 2006
According to multiple studies, approximately 51% of all visual artists are female, but less than 5% of artists featured in the world’s most prominent museums and galleries are women. “Haute Mess” spoofs the stark reality that the decision to use the female form or sexuality as a theme has been pivotal to the success of myriad, iconic male artists.
During the work’s creation process, water spilled on the paper canvases, and instead of throwing them away, Simmons decided to mold them into a sculpture. The resulting forms feature appropriated, emblematic pop images that are a double-entendre on both the object, the objectified, and our obsession with cultural norms and molds of beauty in both history and art history.
While clothing and accessories inform our relationship with nature, the environment, and each other, they also express our identity and values in an increasingly vulnerable and fragile world. Face coverings and other artworks lend insight into our personal experiences and life journeys - not only what we learn or see, but also how we feel and what we project from within - while reminding us of societal issues that plague us at large.








