Plus -size artist and cultural producer Kristine Schomaker stimulates serious thought and important conversation about the intersection of perception and reality.
“Perceive Me” opens at Coastline Art Gallery at Coastline College, 1515 Monrovia Ave. in Newport Beach, CA on September 6, 2022. The show is on view through October 15. An artist’s reception is scheduled at the gallery for Friday, September 23 from 5 to 7 PM.
In “Perceive Me”, plus-size artist Kristine Schomaker challenges us to examine our acceptance of differences- especially related to size. She posed for 60 artists to do nude portraits of her larger-than-average form; the results are a celebration of and for anyone who has ever felt less than beautiful. Rather than shaming Schomaker for her size, the artists celebrate it with paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, video and a 3D print. For this exhibition at Coastline College, Schomaker also posed nude for a figure drawing class lead by artist Bradford J. Salaman. A series of 15 works from this class are included in this show.
With “Perceive Me,” Schomaker touches on pervasive cultural standards of the “right” female body- an idea that challenges many and has become a ubiquitous issue with the widespread use of digital filters, photo editing and social media dissemination. She hated having her photo taken because she didn’t mirror what she saw in TV, movies and other media. She developed an eating disorder, but never lost sight of the need to express herself in her art.
