Curator's Commentary on the "Woman in Full Colour" Series

In this series, Etmanski provides a fresh perspective on the most enduring muse, the female form.

Taken together, these images construct a strong, Cindy Sherman-style commentary on the concept of female beauty: the unattainable ideal that influences North American women, either in our rebellion against it, or our compulsion to attain it at all costs—through diet, obsessive exercise routines, plastic surgery, liposuction, or the latest in fashion and cosmetics.

Notice the details she accentuates: the succulent lips, the eyelashes, the toned abdominal muscles, the suggestive postures. The expressions are familiar, the landscape an almost laughable stereotype; and yet, when captured through the lens of a professional photographer—and enhanced by airbrush—these are the very same images that can entice any given audience to buy a range of unrelated products. As a mirror of our society, much is revealed. The images challenge us to ask ourselves honestly, who is immune to their power… and who is it that truly holds the power?

When questioned about this series, Etmanski replied: “I just want to do my art.” This, of course, speaks to the ever-potential dissonance between artist intention and audience interpretation, and raises controversy around the ethics and overall merit of a curator’s statement. The art, after all, speaks for itself.