At first glance, artist Erin Carle's solo exhibition is just fun paintings of food. The bold colors and collage-esque burgers and cigarettes demand attention, pulling the viewer in. But what lies underneath are layers of control, shame and judgment — all aimed at women's bodies.
"You should eat a burger" is a multimedia exhibit at Unchained.Art that gives a throwaway comment a whole new meaning.
"Erin took this everyday phrase that a lot of women have heard at one point or another, and she made it the conceptual center of the show," the gallery's owner, Christina Hiltscher, said. "She uses food and humor to look at body image, shame, desire, self doubt and how women's bodies are judged, viewed and consumed by the media, and I think it's a topic that we've all experienced."
Carle's vibrant paintings depict food in a variety of scenes, from a skeleton picnic to burgers as breasts to pancakes as ashtrays. A ceramic burger sculpture shows food at its most basic form, while two videos dive into Carle's history as a ballerina, with her dancing on top of In-N-Out-style burgers.
"I wanted to create something that was deeply personal," Carle said. "Coming from this ballet background, I was in such a concentrated ecosystem that was so body-focused. Everything you do has to do with your body and how people perceive you, so I wanted to create a series that put that in the forefront, but wasn't just talking about the body."
Carle began working with Hiltscher when looking for a gallery to represent her. Since then, Hiltscher has embraced Carle's growth as an artist and will host a "What Comes Next" event on July 9 from 5 to 7 p.m.
"I find it really fascinating seeing her evolve," Hiltscher said, "and this is a great milestone, because I truly believe she's going places and is on a trajectory."
Carle's next project will explore dreamscapes while still focusing on "the female existence." She said her new work is loosely connected to the food exhibit, and she plans to bring in some of the pieces for the event next week.
"I want people to have a space for contemplation about the way that we approach people's bodies, especially women's, and how we're so used to commenting on other people's bodies and caring so much about our own," Carle said.
"you should eat a burger" runs through July 25 at Unchained.Art Contemporary Gallery.
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