When Louisiana-based artist Ashly Lovett decided to do a gallery show based on the women of pop culture, narrowing down the options wasn’t easy.
“I had a hard time at first,” Lovett told io9 via email. “There are so many powerful figures to choose from. Ultimately, I thought it was best to narrow them down by their roles in the film. Not just by the parts they played, but what their characters represented. Whether that was a ruler, a villain, a soldier, a victim, a survivor, or a scientist, each woman has a different story to tell. I wanted to showcase their strengths, vulnerabilities, desires, and dreams.”
The result is called “The Female Gaze” and it’s on display at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles, CA through August 17. Here are a few of the pieces in the show, which are available in multiple formats, from paintings to sketches and even prints.
“I already had an affinity for drawing female portraiture [and] I’m a sucker for melodically [working] with organic flowing shapes,” Lovett said of her inspiration. “When I pitched the idea for the solo show, I had already been doing a lot of this type of work. It all worked out naturally.” You can see what she means on her website here.
She also acknowledged that while the sorts of mega-blockbusters she’s tackling with this exhibit haven’t done a great job representing women in the past, these characters mark the start of a shift.
“It’s true that women aren’t represented as well. And audiences are demanding more, which is fantastic,” Lovett said. “I wanted ‘The Female Gaze’ to be a platform to celebrate really great characters and the actors who play them.”
You can see the full show, which also features Princess Leia, Alita, Ripley, Sarah Connor, and others, at this link, and even buy some if you want.
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