Haley Ballard’s exhibition “Seen Not Heard” is a vital part of an art and science project of Graz University. The project “fine feathers make fine birds” is organized by the professorship of Modernism and Contemporary Art of the Institute of Art History of Graz University in collaboration with the Institute of Sociology and is funded by the government of Styria.
The exhibition, which opened on the 19th of January in Graz, features three important series of works from the NYC/London-based artist: Seen Not Heard, Oil and The Cut. The first series, which is also eponymous for the exhibition, focuses on the picture and the perception of women in society and media.
“I have created this series to show how the media and society view women and tell us how to look. As women we are told to wear makeup and do our hair to be beautiful. They say you must be skinny to be beautiful and if you have imperfections, photoshop will fix them, if you are a woman”, declares the artist.
This she visualizes through images of women, who are wrapped in transparent cocoons – some are caught, some are struggling, others try to escape.
In her sensible visual language, Haley Ballard tries to capture the problem of the image of women, which is still widely considered merely a projection screen. “Women have become a stronger force in the world but we are still far from equal. We are still expected to be seen and not heard”, Ballard explains the problem and her idea for the title of the series.
Opening „Seen Not Heard“
When: Donnerstag, 19.01.2017, 7 pm
Where: at the Faculty Library Theology, Exhibition Corridor (Heinrichstraße 78 A, 8010 Graz, Austria).
Univ.-Prof. DDr. Reinhold Esterbauer, Dean of the Faculty of Catholic Theology and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Flach, professor for Modernism and Contemporary Art of the Institute of Art History of Graz University, will open the exhibition.
