Jessica Dunegan's Self-Empowerment and Patriarchal Confinement of Female Adornment Artwork

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Jessica Dunegan is an incredible artist from Charleston who currently resides in Boston. Her works have been displayed in numerous shows in the United States, and her art went through different stages over the years. At one point Jessica created a series of works titled Scrambled Porn. According to her, she has an issue with porn because “this media epitomizes and fosters a male-centered culture” and “contributes to the degradation of women” (“About Scrambled Porn”). The show at the Robert Lange Studios called the Other Side has nothing to do with porn; however, it continues to explore the issues contemporary women have to struggle with.
The Other Side presents a series of Jessica Dunegan's new resin paintings that are absolutely stunning. Her technique is very unique: she glues a photograph on transparency film to a wooden panel and pours epoxy resin on top of it. She then squeezes acrylic paint in the resin and allows it to dry. Once the resin is dry, Jessica paints on its surface to accentuate certain details. “This process is repeated many times to create physical dimension and a unique variety of opaque, transparent, and reflective materials” (“Jessica Dunegan”). The effect is amazing. I believe there are other artists who work with epoxy resin. However, this medium is not that wide spread, so Jessica Dunegan's works definitely stand out, especially in Charleston. The colors of the works are also wonderful. They are very bright and vibrant, especially on the paintings with feathered masks; there is a lot of red, green and yellow. The paintings in the show are relatively small with the largest ones being only 16”x20”.
I believe the gallery presented the works in the best possible way. They are in the room on the first floor. T...

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...ore resin. I think her resin paintings are much stronger and more effective just because they are so much more unique and unusual.
The Other Side is an amazing and very interesting show. Jessica Dunegan’s paintings draw the viewers in and leave a lasting impression; but they are not just a series of beautiful images. They also attract our attention to a very important topic: our obsession with beauty and being beautiful. Using tiaras, jewelry and feathered masks Jessica is making a statement that cannot be ignored.

Works Cited

“About Scrambled Porn.” JessicaDunegan.com. Jessica Dunegan. Web. 6 Feb 2014.
< http://www.jessicadunegan.com/art/statements/2>
"Jessica Dunegan." RobertLangeStudios.com. Robert Lange Studios. Web. 6 Feb 2014. .
“Panopticon.” OxfordDictionaries.com. Oxford Dictionaries. Web. 6 Feb 2014.

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