How does myth influence the present day? For Amanda Kidd Schall, powerful truths about female resilience and strength found in Ovid’s Metamorphoses are reflected in both the form and content of her most recent works. In these tales, women transform into trees, birds, and rocks to escape violence inflicted by men. They relinquish their human form and instead become rooted in the earth, acting with what Kidd Schall views as courage, vitality, and a sturdy stubbornness. The artist notes that though Ovid’s Metamorphoses was created in 8 AD, we still live in a patriarchal society where women struggle to maintain autonomy and control over their own bodies. “I can understand the appeal of hardening your body, having your legs and feet become roots, and your arms grow into branches, and freeing yourself from the vulnerabilities of flesh,” says Kidd Schall.

Themes of foliage, the female form, natural forms that reflect female anatomy, and fragmentation appear frequently in this artist’s work. To push those ideas even further in this project, Kidd Schall brought her drawings outside to become part of the environment. After moving from Worcester to a smaller space in eastern Long Island this past year, the decision to bring her work outside allowed her to create and experiment on a larger scale. She created a temporary drawing station outdoors and experimented with positioning drawings in various places and lighting conditions to then be photographed.

Amanda Kidd Schall, Bedded Down, photograph taken with holga 120, 20" x 20", 2019, $200.00

Amanda Kidd Schall, Exhibitionist, digital photograph, 20" x 30", 2019, $500