Women of Vision: 2012 Lauren Acton, Violated, at Hidden River Gallery
Women of Vision: 2012 Lauren Acton, The Agreement, at Hidden River Gallery
Lauren Acton explained to DoN, “I brought a bistro scene, I’ve done a lot of bistro women in a series, colorful women in bistro scenes because I lived in Paris. And it’s reminiscent of drinking a lot of wine, or having coffee or tea. My most recent pieces though are based on Roger de La Fresnaye who based a lot of work on nude women with business men, it’s so intriguing, the opposition of those two together that I’m focused on right now and the wine is introduced, I like somewhat abstract figures now with figurative pieces. They’re broken down spaces, then broken down again with color and treatment of layers, glazing, it’s just what I’m doing at this point.”
Women of Vision: 2012 Lauren Acton, The Girls at Hidden River Gallery
DoN asked if this is a response to the male gaze? Lauren Acton responded, “I’m not sure, this is a show with all women but Debra Leigh Scott picked the pieces, I thought that was appropriate for an all female show. A woman’s point of view to maybe, um, the waning feminist era we find ourselves in after the sixties. Debra and I had a big conversation about what happened to our feminist movement, I’m only 52 but I lived through the sixties and I know about Gloria Steinem and those girls. It’s important to understand a woman’s point of view and how a lot of successful business women are still fighting a lot of prejudice, even just being female in the working world there’s prejudice, it’s still an upward battle for a lot of women.” DoN asked about how Lauren Acton reacts to the current political discussion surrounding women today? “There’s still prejudice, that’s all I’m going to say.”
Women of Vision: 2012 at the Hidden River Art Gallery and Salon, 525 South 4th Street, Philadelphia hosted by Debra Leigh Scott through April 30, 2012.
DoN will be posting stories about the other featured artists Pamela Peitzman, Barbara Gesshel, Madeline Bates, Lilliana Didovic and Maria Lourdes Soloman on upcoming DoNArTNeWs Philadelphia Art News Blog posts.
Read more about Women of Vision 2012 at Side Arts Philadelphia Art Blog
Photographs by DoN Brewer