Fragmented Bodies

Authors

Lauren Careese Alexander, Southern Methodist UniversityFollow

Abstract

Through Memory Webs and fragmented ceramic vessels, I express what it feels like to grow up living in a biracial body. I utilize mixed media to emulate a mixed-race experience. My Memory Webs are fashioned by painting on scraps of canvas and attaching them with crocheted wire and ribbon to speak to how my memory has impacted my identity. My fragmented ceramic vessels are cut up and stitched back together to represent disjointedness and un-belonging. All of my work is contextualized through the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and what the Monster may represent for people of color. I also discuss contemporary artist influences and a variety of childhood memories. My art serves as a vehicle both for understanding my struggles with identity and as a way to heal from my painful experiences. I have created a visual vocabulary over the last two years of artmaking and experimentation that stems from monstrosity, quilting, kintsugi, personal narration, and defining identity versus identifiers. I address how I begin with a struggle with identity, use art-making to address the issue, and what I have concluded as a result.

Degree Date

Spring 5-11-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.F.A.

Department

Division of Art

Advisor

Brian Molanphy

Second Advisor

Jer'Lisa Devezin

Subject Area

Art, Art History/Criticism/Conservation, Humanities, General/Other, Humanities, Textile Fabrics

Number of Pages

26

Format

.pdf

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Recommended Citation

Alexander, Lauren Careese, "Fragmented Bodies" (2024). Art Theses and Dissertations. 27.
https://scholar.smu.edu/art_etds/27