KIRSTIN DENNETT

As a textile artist, My work has recently explored themes that are political as this is something that I have found interesting for a long time in particular the Feminist movement and the presidency of Donal Trump. I have found inspiration from the works of Hugh Mendes, Carrie Mae Weems and Sarah Naqui as their art resonates with me. Ever since I was in high school I have been affected by how society perceives women and strive to help change that. With my work I hope that I can inform and educate people on the risks many women face for no other reason than being a woman. Through the media of textiles I believe that I can bring an interesting perspective to the topic as it is considered a traditionally feminine skill so is perfect to bring attention to women’s issues. Since this devastating murder of Sarah Everard in March 2021 this has become even more relevant, with women protesting for the Government to do something about this crisis. This action has inspired me to bring attention to the women who have lost their lives just because of they’re gender and aim to do this through my work and urge others to help the movement. I’m also disheartened by how the media reports on these tragic events as they often brush over the victim as a human being and focus on the crime itself. I also believe that for my practice, a combination of both digital and and hand made details play to my strength and gives a lot of impact to the topics I explore. The use of textiles as a medium I have found can make the topics I address more accessible to the viewer as it contrasts the hard hitting subjects.