"Veil" by Som and Megan

"Veil" installation by Som and Megan, Witt Gallery, 2014

The "Veil" by Som and Megan, was a student installation in the Witt Gallery at Sacramento State. The installation took the viewer down a path of the maturing process of a girl. It makes reference to female representation in society and the struggle of women on the path to maturity. When I entered the Witt Gallery, I was taken down a path of flowers, which are typically associated with femininity. It lead me to the rest of the installation where the back wall was covered by news papers depicting stereotypes, advertising and news coverage of women. The white underwear that was clipped on the laundry line with clothing pins had red dye on the crotch which could have been making reference to the "flowering" of a girl through her period. The clothes on the on the wire could also have been referencing domestic chores that have been associated with women like laundry.

Detail of Underwear pinned on wire

Detail of path of flowers

The exhibition also makes reference to the violence that is often associated with, or is sometimes part of the feminine experience in the bold words "Fuck" and "Rape" shown on one of the wall. Even though they are strong words full of meaning I didn't see them at first because they were on the left wall in almost translucent tape. I took the meaning of this to be that rape is often a terrible part of some women's experience, but is not always noticed by society at all. The news papers hanging on the wall were wrinkled like a curtain coming down to reveal the lies that society still has about women. The content of the papers also reveals the different views of women that society has in the images and content.

Detail of "Domestic", "Fuck" and "Rape" written on the wall

The installation showed insight into the stereotypes and taboo subjects associated with women that are often not talked about in society. like rape and a women's menstrual period. This installation brought these issues out into the open and displayed them to be thought about and examined. One of the stereotypes of women that was brought up in this installation is the domesticity of women. This was seen from  the word "Domestic" on the wall, as well as the reference seen in the clothing on the laundry wire. The installation showed the students understanding of contemporary art and displayed feminist content.