BIBI DAVIDSON | GIRL IN THE RED DRESS

BIBI DAVIDSON | GIRL IN THE RED DRESS

11 – 14 – 2016
Written by Desiree Cormier
Featuring Artist Bibi Davidson
Located at Gallery 825 – West Hollywood 

With everything going on in our country and in our lives today, it was refreshing to take a second, recollect our thoughts and talk-shop with questions and answers on creativity and self-empowerment. During a time when a lot of people may feel completely marginalized and disenfranchised, for numerous reasons, We Choose Art discusses gender, identity, self-liberation and acceptance with feminist artist Bibi Davidson, read below:

We Choose Art: Hi Bibi! Congratulations on your solo show: The Girl in the Red Dress at Gallery 825/LAAA and thanks for taking the time to do this interview for us at We Choose Art.

First and foremost, can you give us a synopsis of this show and how it came about? It seems that this female character and red motif is extremely personal to you and has been developed over a long period of time. Can you give us a bit more insight on this recurring theme and who she is? Maybe what she represents?

Bibi Davidson: The Girl in the Red Dress’ concept was to show my evolution from my 2D paintings into 3D works. ‘My girl’ represents me, my life, my pains, my fantasies…and the humor in all of it.

WCA: We will definitely get back to the tail end of that answer, but first, speaking of making the jump to 3-D. What inspired this move?

Bibi: The transition into 3D is my desire to move my art into an interaction art, with people, as if it is forming a play in a theater.

WCA: Very interesting, now getting back to the nitty gritty of the previous answer: A piece I absolutely fell in love with is No Gender. This triptych features three painted images of a strong and dominant female character, accompanied by empowering, feminist messages. What was the inspiration behind this piece and the phrases used? How, if any, has feminism played a role in your art and/or life?

Bibi: No Gender is based on my life experiences, growing up as a teenager among men. …Commenting rudely on every move and physical part of my body, always addressing me as their property…
…Growing up with a mother that sees just the perfection of the outside look, so that men would want to marry me…

If I want to grow a beard, I will still be a woman. My boobs definitely don’t represent my womanhood and as I grow up more, I realize that my sex does not say who I am. I say: “I am a person with no gender. What matters to me is kindness and creativity. Yes, I am a feminist and I express it in my art, I protest. I don’t think I choose art, art chooses me.”

WCA: No Gender and The Girl in the Red Dress (as well as a lot of Bibi’s work) deliver a message of power, a message of resistance, a message of taking control back from whomever your oppressor may be. Bibi and her use of an artistic platform to spread her unifying message of acceptance, self-empowerment and equality are magnificent. As Degas said, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” Art can help you rage when need be and art can help you heal. With Bibi’s work, I personally feel like I get the best of both worlds.

Special thanks to Bibi for her wise and kind words on such crucial subjects during a trying time in many people’s lives. View more of Bibi’s empowering art work here on her website at BibiDavidson.com or see her artwork on display at Gallery 825 in West Hollywood through November 18th. 

Photos Captured by Baha H. Danesh 

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Desiree Cormier
Desiree Cormier
I choose art because art allows me to confidently be the bizarre, outlandish weirdo that I am, while also reassuring me that I am definitely not the only one. Art builds character and art builds a community of characters, both of which I ardently welcome.
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