Washington University in St. Louis
Self-Portrait with Boys, 2024, oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches
Inspired by my upbringing in the American South, surrounded by the theatricality of the church, debutante culture, and beauty pageants, my paintings explore the performativity of gender. Pulled from my personal archive, I carefully render and memorialize moments from my girlhood, exploring the ways in which our patriarchal society demands performance and perfection. The cinematic cropping of this suggestive image provokes questions of the male gaze, fetishization, and autonomy: positioning the viewer as voyeur and intimating complicity.
Instagram | @catie_cook_art
Website | www.catiecookart.com