Jossalynn Harris

Because of the influential males in my life whom I aspire to be like, inadvertently the male gaze that they look through became a lens that I then began to view myself through as well, deciphering what was attractive and what was right. It is my father’s rebellious and skateboarder demeanor that I have followed, using this behavior and culture as a way to define who I am. On the other hand, it has been my mother who has tried to make me into the better version of herself, my sisters examples of what a woman should be, wear, and say, ultimately the girl that I am not but whom I feel like I should be. I’m tired of being judged based on these standards set onto me as a woman and also judging myself based on them. I am unable to deal with my aggravations in an open and unfiltered manner, with this sexual objectification and feminine identity, so I use my artwork to confront and undermine these expectations set onto me. I present this love/hate relationship through illustration, videography, and photography, with a female figure that resembles myself as my main subject. I explore topics of dominance, humiliation, the abject, indulgence, violence, and my own frustrations, confronting the male gaze that I’ve grown up with by empowering the object, myself. I have a relentless need to process my experiences and inner feelings for the public eye, a means to create a disruption in their lives like how these issues disrupt my own.

I am an artist who pushes the limits of what is always turning in my mind. My work takes on many mediums like painting, sculpture, and performance art, and has been exhibited throughout the Capital Region of New York. I am an alumni of Russell Sage College where I completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art and Extended Media with a minor in psychology in May of 2020. I work hard to take every opportunity that comes my way and look forward to not only continuing my artwork, but also seeing where my career takes me.

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