Introduction
Rarely does an artist spring up and attempt to heal the world through their conscientious artwork. The 21st century is grateful to engender a true maverick – Zoe Buckman. A multifaceted woman, she is a prolific artist, photographer, and writer.
Zoe Buckman Biography
Buckman was born on 13 September 1985 in a culturally rich household. Her mother, Jennie Buckman, was an acting coach, while her father was a health official. In 2009, she attended the International Center of Photography (ICP), effectively beginning her career. She has won several prestigious titles – the Art Matters Grant (2017), the Art Change Maker Award (2019), and the Art and Social Impact Award (2020).
Notable Zoe Buckman Art
Buckman is a notable figure in the world of contemporary art. Her work is a unique window to the discourses surrounding gender disparity, grief, and vulnerability. Several of her works feature boxing gloves as a motif of masculinity, strength, and, seldom, anger.
Present Life
Buckman’s collection “Present Life” deals with the fleeting nature of life and is perhaps the most shocking of all. The collection incorporates several hand-blown hourglasses, depicting the transience of time. After her daughter’s birth, the doctors informed her of the decaying placenta, which may have caused complications. Instead of lingering on the horrific possibilities, she immortalized them via plastination. Her plastinated placenta is encased in marble and shocks the viewers to date.
Every Curve
She solidifies her feminist lineage with this collection. It evokes sympathy towards the victims of misogyny and sexism, made rampant for long. Zoe Buckman hand embroidered the lingerie (of the past and present) with the lyrics of her favourite hip-hop legends The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac. The installation is a subtle nod to the objectification of women’s bodies.
Mostly It’s Just Uncomfortable
This collection reminds her viewers of the significance of Planned Parenthood. Her motive behind this sculptural masterpiece was to summon the sentiments of necessary pain. Her installations include several gynaecological equipment. Although they connote the feeling of coldness, she subverts them as playful toys, saving lives one at a time. This collection displays the female reproductive anatomy in which boxing gloves replace the ovaries. It proves that the conundrum is not lost in her work.
Let Her Rave
A longtime admirer of John Keats, Buckman took inspiration from the poet’s ‘Ode on Melancholy’. The installation features a collection of boxing gloves adorned with the trimmings taken from wedding dresses and veils. It suspends from the ceiling. The deconstructed wedding dress and the inclusion of the boxing gloves recognise woeful women dragged down by responsibilities, expectations, and the repercussions of marriage. It also urges them to fight back and protect their sanity.
Artist Zoe Buckman is her own muse. She derives heavily from her life, which is both individualistic and ubiquitous. She weaves the concepts of femininity, strength, choice, and society’s distorted view into her art, giving birth to the idea of a modern woman.
Feature Image: Zoë Buckman. Photo Courtesy – Taylor Dafoe
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