IN THE FLESH
by Erin Fei
Exhibition: April 2 - 6, 2024
Reception: Friday, April 5th, 6-8p
Fragmentation/Objectification/Consumption
IN THE FLESH invites viewers into a visceral exploration of consumption and objectification, where the boundaries between human and meat, desire and repulsion, are blurred and dissected. Through a collection of paintings and sculptures, this exhibition delves into the discomforting reality of being seen, undressed, and devoured. From the dimly lit corners of strip clubs to the sterile environment of butcher shops, the works on display interrogate the act of looking and the power dynamics inherent in the gaze.
The paintings, executed with a sense of urgency and spontaneity, draw the viewer into gruesome dining scenes that mix the objectification of women with overly large portions of meat. The boneless and contorted figures emerge organically from the canvas and serve as monstrous metaphors of our consumption-driven society. The small works invite the viewer into an intimate space, where the materiality of the paint replicates the texture and warmth of flesh. The sculptures represent the flesh of the object in their ceramic bodies, juxtaposing the waxy, rosey hues of skin with the starkness of inanimate forms.
Through a subtle interplay of sex and food, IN THE FLESH confronts the viewer with uncomfortable truths about the fetishization of bodies. Challenging the viewer to confront their own body and pushing them to question who is consuming and who is being consumed.
IN THE FLESH is not merely an exhibition–it is a visceral experience that demands introspection and reflection, challenging viewers to confront their own complicity in systems of oppression and exploitation.
More About Erin
Erin Fei’s artistic practice explores the complexities of her identity as an Asian American woman and the fetishized gaze through sculpture and painting. Her paintings cross the boundaries between desire and repulsion, using the monstrous and grotesque to challenge viewers to confront their complicity in systems of oppression and exploitation. Her sculptures use found objects of her heritage that she recontextualizes into uncanny corporeal forms to challenge the objectification of Asian women.
Born in Hamilton, New Zealand she grew up on the east coast of the United States. She received her BA in studio art in 2020 from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Erin is the awardee of the prestigious Rosalie Chauncy scholarship for the study of painting in France as well as multiple talent awards. Currently, she resides in Greensboro North Carolina where she is pursuing her MFA in studio art at the University of North Carolina–Greensboro.
