The opening exhibition of “Anxious” by Western New York artist Brianna Rine will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, at Enjoy the Journey Art Gallery, 1168 Orchard Park Road, West Seneca. Rine’s work looks at aspects of anxiety, and how its mental effects have a roll in people’s lives.
Anxiety is something many men and women suffer from in their daily lives that wears on their physical being. In the same respect, it is still considered “taboo” and a weakness in today’s society. Rine’s artwork is trying to convey aspects of the wear and tear, particularly on the woman’s body, by focusing on the feminine gaze. The powerful affect of anxiety on the body added to social misunderstanding and perception force women to hide their pain.
In work, family and social environments, a woman has to be strong, demonstrate intelligence, efficiency, stability and try to be more capable than others due to the historical prejudices that she has had to overcome. Hiding this illness out of fear of judgment and exclusion contributes to the feeling of “being a pariah” in society’s eyes.
Under such conditions, people have strong physical reactions. Beside the very well known physical symptoms attached with anxiety, some observers noticed a transfer of emotions in the eyes, particularly in a woman’s gaze. This exhibition uses documented and present photographs to explore and translate states of a female’s gaze, and Rine’s artwork places the viewers at the center of these emotional gazes.
Rine will be present at the opening evening and will welcome your visitation, discussions and questions regarding her artwork. For more information, please contact the artist at bl****@bu*****.edu.
