How Do You Art?
The artist Mona Theresa is an undiscovered talent.
I am certain however, that unlike most talented artists, she will still be alive when she is finally discovered and valued.
There are days that she comes up with the most exquisite creations that sincerely make me want to sit down with some chilled red wine and a magnifying glass to examine the workings of what she calls a brain.
As a writer, one of the things that I have learned is that writing can be both a way to understand inner demons or angels, if you will. When I write, I understand a lot more about how I feel. Sometimes, until I write, I do not even know the depth of the emotions I might feel about certain things. Other times, I come to the realization that some things are affecting or influencing me a lot more than I think.
It is with this understanding that I approach art works in general. For me, the work of an artist tells me the state of mind that they are in or the processes of thought they may not be aware of until it is broken down by an objective party. I strongly believe that artists paint, write, sketch themselves into their works. Their work is often a tapestry of their history, present and future all in one. Art, in our present times has never been filled with so much information to discern. With the vast array of themes that seem to cut across world cultures, today’s art is literally prophetic. The spirit behind each art is of course is entirely debatable.
Mona Theresa’s latest piece stirred up a range of emotions in me. And I think that it is only fitting, with the fierce debate and art produced around blurring gender lines, to look at the story this work seems to tell.
“Evolving” What do you see?
A cursory look will reveal that the work titled, “Evolving” has a Cinderella kind of theme.
According to Mona Theresa, “I started off with the intention of portraying a woman in transition, from a state of being to a state of becoming”.
The pumpkin, the profile of the woman framed within the pumpkin…on a simplistic level, it should seem pretty ordinary. I mean, who hasn’t read, watched or heard of the fairy tale that is Cinderella? Cinderella is turned into a beautiful princess by her fairy God mother who gives her until midnight to return home or risk turning back into her work driven worn state, which was transfigured by pumpkins and the likes of other unusual things. (I believe a mouse was somewhere in the mix)
I however was quite intrigued by the profile of the person in the pumpkin. I did think it was a man at first glance and had to look closely to find the elements of the woman. To be honest, I felt I was looking at a man and woman merged in one unique profile. While the cheekbones look feminine and so do the lips, there is an unmistakable male quality in the same features at the same time. The hair also gives off a male vibe. The Elvis styled waves did lend more substance to my assumption that I was looking at more of man than a woman.
I also find it intriguing that the pumpkin is shaped vaguely like a labia. Now, you many think that this is my mind in the gutter working in overdrive except, my mind has been washed with water among other things lately, so believe me when I say there is absolutely no sexual inference intended. (by the way, did you know that labias differ from woman to woman? I had no idea until a few months ago).
Moving on, am I the only one who thinks that the ear is shaped like a womb? It might seem like a far stretch but the more I looked at it, the more convinced I was that it was a womb with life growing
Anyway, let’s put together the subjective interpretations made; a man-woman, emerging from a pumpkin shaped like a labia and a womb for an ear. Phew! It sounds like a lot!
So basically, my interpretation of “Evolving” is that it is the portrait of the current times. The tide of the narrative that men can be women and women can be men. Wishful thinking, wishful thinking however aided by the drive of information that says it is possible. Nothing is more powerful than narratives pushed aggressively in public space over time by major mass media. I think that Evolving is the perfect summary of this narrative.
We are constantly being shaped by the things that we see and hear. The ear and the eyes are literal doorways that information can walk in through and affect the thinking of the entire mind. I think we underrate the power of what is heard and seen but the few who understand that power are making sure that you hear and see what they want you to.
The artist recently was exposed to a thematic overdose of the blurring of gender in the world of fashion. The fashion season this year was a huge miss as far as I am concerned. Yes, I understand the need to adhere to the narrative of the time, but really? It was like watching a production made by deluded porn stars getting center stage attention. An absolute horror show.
That being said, “Evolving” for me is a simple demonstration about how art can be influenced by society and how society can influence art. The pressing question for me is, to what extent can artists influence society with their art? Can art become a force that counters societal narrations especially when those narrations are driving us to the brink of the extinction of our morals and values? History has shown that this is possible.
Now more than ever, art needs to be a contrary voice. If you are an artist, how do you art?
Let’s talk.
About the artist, Mona Theresa
Mona Theresa was born into the laid back hustle and bustle of the town of Zaria in Kaduna state. Her journey as an artist began from sketching dresses as a habit and has since evolved into fashion illustration, pencil and paint art, poetry and design. Her influences have been largely informed by her daily interaction with the various concepts of womanhood and her work is mostly a response to certain stereotypes of women which seek to undermine the image of a woman in a patriarchal system. She is the Creative Director of Reina-de-Las-Fabricas with a love for literature academically proven with a B.A and M.A in literature. When she is not drawing or writing, she can be found producing creative pieces of fabric or mulling away on a good K-drama. A glimpse of her art can be found on instagram at @reina_de_las_fabricas
