Betsy Allen

My work aims to comment on the discrepancies between appearance/what is perceived to be and the actual reality. Through the incorporation of text, I hoped to create a story that seems to contradict its accompanying image(s) while also expanding upon it. My goal was not to challenge such contradictions, but is rather to express a reality that while sad and damaging, is one in which I live unopposed to. Although in many cases perceived “perfection” or beauty is not synonymous with joy, it is still a quality I covet despite the price paid. My love for fashion is one that is both freeing and constricting and as such is representative of the paradoxical nature of human existence that I hope to reflect through my work. Fashion grants me an assertiveness I have little of in other aspects of my life, and brings me a satisfaction unparalleled by anything else. However, it also means I am somewhat obsessed with the fashion industry as it stands today—highlighting skinniness over an inclusion of all body types, a white-dominated beauty and the exclusivity of high end design.

A love-hate relationship, I used text to express the hateful parts of my existence and images to represent the beauty I still see and worship in my life. I looked to artists such as Carrie Mae Weems in the combining of text with images to add a deeper and, at times, more direct, value to the visual representation of abstract concepts. Donald Urquhart and Elise Engler too influenced my work as the former directly informed “​Purge My Perfection (I Dare You),” ​and the latter provided me a deeper understanding of the thoughts that went into the creation of “​Life in Plastic is Fantastic.”​ In experimenting with font, definition and weight, I worked to turn the text into drawings and used such techniques to create variance and therefore direct the attention of the viewer more purposefully. Some words are written smaller with letters pushed together—these words are not meant to be eligible unless one puts a great amount of effort into discerning them. Through layering I was also able to achieve this effect as well as representing the masks we wear in how we determine how others perceive us. I wanted to achieve an effect that seemed representative of the filters we take on so as to hide certain parts while illuminating others and how such complexity and ingenuity can create great insecurity in our understanding of self. My use of color pays tribute to the aspects of fashion and physical beauty as defined by society that I adore—for some pieces the use of color is to represent a concept such as the use of green to symbolize envy, whereas in others the combination of colors speaks solely to my love for designing outfits pairings. My work aims to convey a certain obsessive, categorical, and the adoring nature that I feel represents my understanding of fashion as it connects to beauty, appearance and self-identity.

In assembling my show, I wanted to ensure that the viewer would not be overwhelmed to the point of disinterest. I feared the use of text would create an overcrowded appearance that would prove displeasing to an external audience. In arrangement I began by hanging “​This is a List. A Grocery List. I Left Money on the Kitchen Counter.,”​ on the wall in the center of the three panels I was given to work with. From that point I aimed to create a balance in the surrounding pieces, which, although not symmetrical, would create an equilibrium all the same. I worked to place pieces heavy in text and in color on both sides, paying attention to the weight of the pieces: two pieces heavy in text, but light in color were placed near each other and were combined with two more pieces featuring intense colors, and on the other side a pencil drawing was placed beside two brightly colored text pieces. Such organization was attempted with one goal in mind: to ensure the viewer would read what was written. I hope the audience receives the invitation into my world that I am presenting through this body of work.