Mikaela Howard

Artist Statement

Through my work, I explore highly feminine forms and their relation to the world through memory and fashion history. I find that when femininity is brought up in discussion, it is often simplified to mothering, sexual attraction, or submissiveness. I am interested in the empowerment that highly feminine bodies experience. Specifically empowerment from clothing, makeup, and other factors associated with aesthetic identity. I find that for me, these things are not frivolous or surface level. Clothing can function as a mirror of the true self and can be an incredible tool in legitimizing personal identity. I work through these thoughts using drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and book making. Another aspect of beauty that I discuss is the line between what is beautiful and what is grotesque. When does something cross the line, transforming from the sublime into the subversive? In my drawings I play with body horror, juxtaposing constructed beauty with disturbing imagery. It is virtually impossible to separate my art from my Christian upbringing. My family and Christianity unsurprisingly informed my connection with my female body. Whether it be printmaking, digital art, painting, sculpture, or bookmaking I am interested in mixing mediums. I enjoy playing with soft textures, lace, and translucency. Through using these different mediums, I am able to express how femininity empowers me.

As a person that wears the Japanese street fashion, lolita, I am often wearing overtly feminine clothing and I stick out in physical spaces. The style is characterized by poofy petticoats, lacy blouses, and decorated head pieces. It takes heavy inspiration from aristocratic Rococo dresses, and Victorian ladies’ garb. Despite these typical factors, there are many different styles of lolita: gothic, sweet, classic, hime (princess), etc. It is a style that many people find comfort in, for many different reasons. Lolita fashion has and will continue to serve as a fashion that allows the wearers to escape modern understandings of clothing and feminine bodies. Through my art I am often questioning why there is the need to sexualize anything overtly feminine. Whether it’s a person wearing a sparkly mini-skirt or a gothic lolita in layers of ruffles, there is a tendency to constantly relate the feminine form to the masuline in regards to sex. My The lolita community helps feminine bodies demonstrate why they are more than their physical form. This struggle often appears in my work. Overall, my goal is to communicate the complexities of the feminine experience and body.