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Samantha Wegener
I Am... ODU Humanities Thesis Exhibit
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Dad Bod, 2019
Bass Wood, Plastic, Found Objects, Metal, and Oil on Canvas
Dad Bod is my take on our changing bodies as a result of parenthood and aging. I put this within the male perspective because this is a reality that dads face by being the human trash disposals eating the discarded pizza crusts, slobbered on chicken nuggets, and cold, flaccid french fries that were abandoned on Junior’s plate. This label evokes pride with dads. The appearance of the tighty-whiteys is a shout out to my Dad, who proudly walked around the house in these without modesty nor concern.
(Photo courtesy of Beth White)
I Know You Are-But What Am I? 2015
Encaustic on Wood Panel
This work is my reaction to the greedy corporate world symbolized by the pig but is hypocritical because I am the consummate consumer. I buy from impulse and the convenience of the big box stores, the name brands, and the hype which guides my purchases and patronage towards these “corporate pigs” creates my label of hypocrite, a fellow pig of consumerism.
(Photo courtesy of Beth White)
Impostor, 2016
Oil on Found Thrift Store Painting
Insecurity is my biggest source of anxiety. Some days I feel inadequate and unsure, feeling that I have to cover up my inadequacies with a facade. I use Chewbacca as Blue Boy to represent the charlatan that I feel that I am, be it at my job as an art educator, as a grad student, as a roller derby player (former), and as an artist. Self-confidence has to be worn like a suit, a suit that hides my fear of disappointing the expectations of other people, a suit that puts on a show.
(Photo courtesy of Beth White)
I <3 Meat, 2015
Encaustic on Wood Panel
Being in a household where half of the members are vegetarian/pescatarian and the other half are meat eaters creates an air of tension, which is truly tongue-in-cheek considering both camps respect each other’s dietary choices. My husband constantly asks me if any of the dishes served to him have meat in it. The answer is always, “no” because I cook with a meat substitute, but perhaps my culinary prowess fools him, I’m guessing. I fully comprehend and agree that it is a good decision to give up meat, but I can’t commit. This work captures the yucky side of meats with the background painted as simulated raw fat and flesh, but my selfishness lets taste overturn ethics and health; hence, I see myself as the Sumo who wrestles with the good and bad of meat consumption.
(Photo courtesy of Beth White)
ADHD and Me, 2018
Ceramics, Found Objects, Nylon, and Plastic
This work is the first Relational Aesthetics exploration that took place in the summer of 2018. I put out several posts on Facebook inviting friends for clay flower making parties in my home. Nine people accepted the invites, where a variety of styles and skill levels helped to create the sea of flowers representing my medicated world that surrounded my then recently diagnosed label of severely impaired ADHD. The random altered ceramic figurines swimming within the floral current is representative of the challenges that I face daily. Albeit, this impairment has always hindered me as I grapple with divided focus and chaotic disorganization, this label designation has given me the clarity to realize why I operate the way I do.
(Photo courtesy of Beth White)
What Are You ?, 2015
Encaustic on Wood Panel
All of my life strangers have come up to me and asked, “What are you?” Well, I am a human and female is today’s retort, but I know this question is really referring to my ethnicity. Should I be flattered because I look so exotic or should I be fraught with worry because my appearance isn’t the norm. I know these people are curious and just wondering about my ethnicity based on my features, but it is unsettling to be approached with this phrase as the lead-in to having a conversation with me; not that I am offended, it just strikes me as odd. The imagery of creatures in this work is my response to this question--I am a creature amongst other creatures.
(Photo courtesy of Beth White)
Fighter, 2020
Spalted Maple, Painted Ceramic, and Found Objects
All of us have had some type of battle to fight, but often these battles have wounds that are not as noticeable as physical, exterior injuries. The battered woman is a metaphor for this. The symbolism of the horseshoe allows for hope to help win the fight, where hope may be construed as luck for some. In situations where we take on the label of fighter, a little luck is always needed.
(Photo courtesy of Beth White)
Perry Meno-Pause, 2020
Ceramic, Wood, Birch Bark, Wax, and Metal Pins
The different stages of life are challenging and paired with anxieties and emotional upheaval. With this new stage, I am not me...I’m angry, I’m sad, I’m laughing, I’m bloated, I’m busted, I’m discouraged, I’m ugly, I’m fat...I’m changing. This work encompasses a multi-layered representation of the aforementioned attributes associated with this label.
(Photo courtesy of Beth White)
Other Girl, 2020
Found Box, and Printed Tags
When taking standardized tests in elementary school I was always bothered by marking the race bubble. The label choices were always three: two that were definite-- black, white, and one that seemed homogenized and unsure-- other. Other was used for anyone who was brown, be it: Hispanic, Asian, Arabic, Pacific Islander, Native American or bi-racial. Not to mention, it felt isolating being other because you were not put in a defined category. Being that I am half-Asian and half-white, I felt like I was denying my mom’s contribution to my biology by marking only other, but why couldn’t I choose both? One day in 3rd grade I made an executive decision to mark one half of the white bubble and one half of the other bubble. Could this have skewed the demographics of this test? I will never know, but I knew that day was a day where I could mark that test with the true me. You may take a label or leave a label.
(Photo courtesy of Beth White)
look inside
Single, Married, Divorced, 2020
Poplar, Found Bark, Plastic, Ceramic, and Found Objects
Many of us identify ourselves by our relationship status. These labels: single, married, divorced can create notions that can be tethered to our emotional outlook and sense of security. This viewing box, rife with symbolism and metaphor, has chance as the guiding principle to achieving these labels. The peephole reveals a group of couples looking into the distance with a wedding couple rising from the rear. Much like the magic 8 ball, a relationship status has a win or lose connotation. The surface treatment on the box, with its rough and smooth illustrates the dynamics of any of these relationships.
(Photo courtesy of Beth White)
look inside
Endomorph, Ectomorph, Mesomorph-Size Matters, 2019
Poplar, Fir, Ceramic, and Found Objects
Biology and genetics determine body types such as leanness, muscle composition, height, fat ratios, and metabolic function. Lifestyle choices play a huge role in the factoring of body type as well. While chubby babies are desirable and healthy, adults who possess these same qualities are not viewed in this regard. Body image and standards are set for us through media, the entertainment and fashion industries, and society. This viewing box with a ruler revealed in the peephole, demonstrates how in reality we are all measured by these labels in some way or form.
(Photo courtesy of Beth White)
Pro-Choice (Sit Like A Lady), 2019
Spalted Maple, Spruce, Hosiery, Hook and Eyes
Being labeled a lady can be difficult, especially when normative expectations can dictate behaviors or actions that are deemed to be “ladylike”. The use of hosiery and bra hooks are used to represent objects that historically demonstrated what it means “to be a (proper) lady”. Furthermore, I feel that one is no less of a lady if there is a refusal to wear these items, which should be the choice of the individual not by an institution; much like reproductive rights are the choices of individuals and not legislation from non-ladies with non-lady parts who want to make laws for ladies.
(Photo courtesy of Beth White)
Relational Aesthetics Labels Project- I AM..., 2020
Acrylic, Fujimatic Prints, Dymo Labels, and Neon
This work is my second Relational Aesthetics work and is the shared effort by a group of 158 participating co-artists; where the outcome was guided by chance and was provided by individual choices, despite having a set of rules determined by me. The works were created at a number of events held at spaces known for traditional art happenings (The Chrysler Museum and the WPA Gallery), as well as atypical spaces (the breweries of Norfolk). This project allowed for a diverse group to introspectively think about their labels (one that was biological, one that was a challenge, one that they were proud of, and one that was designated to them by another) and connect with a stranger to give insight about their labels. My materials choice was deliberate, to outline how old fashioned processes allow a raw truth without being tainted by spellcheck or photo filters. This New Genre Public Art is a major contributor to my identity/labels thesis concerning the restoration of relationships utilizing visual art, dialogical art, and collaborative art as a forum for knowledge and cultural production.
(Photo courtesy of Beth White)
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