Cheyenne Rose
“Being in mothermother iteration #6 with Hye Rim Lee and Philippa Blair turned out to be a playful and colourful exhibition. Our works transformed the space into an expressive and passionate exhibition; Philippa’s bold abstract works alongside Hye Rim’s digital, hybrid dreamscapes and my large juxtaposed formations. Although different, the works connected in the space as a celebration of three women from three different generations to explore a narrative of empowerment individually and together.
As an emerging artist fresh out of art school, it was an honour to show next to two artists who have dedicated their lives to their practice and in doing so have achieved so much. Although we are each in different phases of our lives we came together without judgement and now share a strong bond as wahine.
mothermother provided a platform for us to show any work we wanted to, there was no brief to meet, no restrictions, or limits to what we could exhibit. The initiative pushes the boundaries of conventional gallery shows, it holds no bias in the status or achievements of the artist and it does not look to how much the works can sell for. In doing this, mothermother allows wahine to come together from all different backgrounds without pressure or judgement to exhibit artwork in an open public platform. It’s shaping the way art should be received in the wider community and setting the standard for the future of New Zealand artists.
The works I exhibited in the show came from the series Adhesive Beauty (2019) which reflects on the oversaturated image of the female body in consumerist society. My practice observes the social power structures that influence embodiment and self- representation. Rather than staging protest through opposition, the digital collages mirror some of the modalities of this framing. Extending from the familiar feminised image, the works return to a printed medium derivative of a discourse surrounding its tangibility and construction. The formations don’t inhibit a gender, or a label.”
Cheyenne Rose x mothermother 2020
Installation view with Philippa Blair on the right. Image courtesy of the artist
Artists Cheyenne Rose, Hye Rim Lee, Philippa Blair
'Adhesive Beauty I' (series of 3) 2019, Unique state digital print on Enhanced Epson paper, 920 x 2000mm. Image courtesy of the artist. works courtesy of Antoinette Godkin Gallery
'Adhesive Beauty II' (series of 3) 2019, Unique state digital print on Enhanced Epson paper, 920 x 2000mm. Image courtesy of the artist. works courtesy of Antoinette Godkin Gallery
Cheyenne’s work is reflective of the feminine image within an image-saturated consumerist society. Observing the social power structures that influence embodiment and self-representation, her collages mirror some of the modalities of this framing rather than staging protest. Extending from the familiar feminised image, the formations she creates are derivative of a discourse surrounding their tangibility and construction. Cheyenne completed her MFA at Elam School of Fine arts in 2019.