STEPHANIE SHERWOOD & KATIE SHANKS – Meat Market: On the Cutting Board

Sometimes you have to strip away the surface layers to really get to the meat (and meaning) of the matter. Will what lies beneath be tough? Raw? Juicy? Hard to swallow? Delectable? Bloody? Hot?

Meat Market is an empowering series of wearable art objects developed by Stephanie Sherwood and Katie Shanks taking the derogatory notion of a woman as meat to consume, and transforming it into something beautiful, powerful and enigmatic. Meat Market: On the Cutting Board uses burlesque—a performance medium imminently suited to continued to exploration of ideas of commodification and objectification of the female body while more overtly exploring the implied sexualization therein. Playing on a narrow line of revulsion and arousal, heavy subject matter is packaged with equal parts humor and horror—making it palatable for general consumption.

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Los Angeles artists Katie Shanks and Stephanie Sherwood were both trained in traditional drawing and painting at California State University Long Beach, their vibrant joint practice (begun in 2015) has since traveled off the canvas into sculpture, immersive installation, fashion, and now performance. Stephanie heavily focuses on technical drawing and experimentation with many types of paint, as well as contemporary compositional techniques. Katie’s work embraces her experience with theatrical set and costume design to create painterly woven garments and environments. When collaborating, the two find a balance—playing off of each other’s strengths while simultaneously pushing one another to challenge their concepts and capabilities—striving to abandon a place of comfort for one of growth.”

www.stephaniesherwoodart.com
www.kshanks.com
www.meatmarketart.com