Sean Smith and Dafna Steinberg have an opening reception at doris-mae gallery on 14th Street NW. (Courtesy doris-mae gallery)
On Saturday, April 20, from 6 to 8 pm, doris-mae gallery is holding an opening reception for local artists Sean Smith and Dafna Steinberg. doris-mae gallery opened late last year as curatorial project by Thomas Drymon. The gallery is at upstairs at 1716 14th Street NW,
Drymon says about the show: “Questions about gender identity and the masculine and feminine are big, so for the purposes of this latest exhibition at doris-mae, we’ve narrowed the conversation down to the presentation of the ideal and its effects on men and women today.”
Sean Smith’s ‘Million Dollar Cupcake,’ “subverts the masculine by coupling images of sensual frosted cupcakes topped with swirls of buttercream with vintage jockstrap- and speedo-clad bulging crotches. With a backdrop of lurid colors and graphic elements (and bow ties), the paintings confuse our notion of what the masculine archetype is and encourage us to examine how men have been defined since the 70s and before.”
While Dafna Steinberg’s ‘Eat What I Feel,’ “turns her attention to the mid- to late-century representation of the woman as home-maker as seen in cookbooks, diet books and magazines of the era. In this world, expectations of the feminine were set against a crowded background of table scapes and impeccable wardrobes. Steinberg examines the far-reaching effects of this type of presentation on contemporary women, openly examining her own relationship to food and her body.”
There will be an eating performance by Steinberg that will begin shortly after 7 pm in the project space.
Check the doris-mae blog at doris-mae.com for information about upcoming dinners with artist Dafna Steinberg in the space and to read about our ongoing programming and upcoming exhibitions and events.
The Details
- What: Opening reception for Sean Smith’s ‘Million Dollar Cupcake’ and Dafna Steinberg ‘Eat What I Feel.’
- When: Saturday, April 20, 6 to 8 pm.
- Where: 1716 14th Street NW.
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Dafna Steinberg’s “Eat What I Feel” opens Saturday at doris-mae gallery. (Luis Gomez Photos)
We had a short conversation with Dafna Steinberg, not only our fashion writer, but well-known Borderstan artist. Steinberg’s new show, “Eat What I Feel,” will open this weekend at doris-mae gallery, 1716 14th Street NW.
Borderstan: What is “Eat What I Feel?”
Steinberg: “Eat What I Feel” is a mixed media project that explores both the ideals of feminine identity through presentation and the issue of emotional eating.
Borderstan: How did the project start?
Steinberg: This project came about close to a year ago. I started paying more attention to my eating habits and began to notice how I ate certain foods when I felt certain emotions.
Borderstan: Any particular inspiration for the show?
Steinberg: While eating I was struck by how my emotional state played such a large role in how and when I ate. Though my original artistic background is in photography, I have been working predominantly in collage work.
Borderstan: What kind of art is there in the show?
Steinberg: For my installation at doris-mae, I created a series of collages from vintage cookbooks, diet books and fashion magazines that draw on my life as a woman eating. As part of this project, I recorded myself dining in public alone. The installation at doris-mae consists of these collages, video and an extravagant dining room tablescape where I will eat during the opening and in a series of public performances.
Additional Public Performances
Steinberg will also have two other public performances where she will invite the public to a “Bring Your Own Comfort Food” dinners. She will be looking for volunteers to come on a specific day (TBD), bring their own comfort food and to be ready to have a conversation about food…what it means to them, the cultures around it, whether or not we, as a society, are obsessed with it, etc.
Check the doris-mae blog for information about these upcoming dinners and for more on the ongoing programming, events and upcoming exhibitions.
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