Aurora Abzug

Bard College

Artwork title: Ritual
oil on canvas | 48 x 36 inches

Tell us about the work that you have submitted.
Ritual inserts my body into an art historical narrative by posing myself, as a female nude, to be consumed by the viewer’s gaze. I subvert this vulnerability by making it the focal point of a commentary on my difficult relationship with food and self-image.

How do you describe your work and practice?
My work is about navigating relationships with others and with ourselves in the age of social media and ubiquitous computing. I’m interested in the ways we feel compelled to present ourselves and in the anxieties inherent to the curation and performance of identity.

What motivated you to apply to the AXA Art Prize?
I applied to the AXA Art Prize in hopes that by extending my work’s audience, I could show others the strength and viability of figurative realism as a tool to take on contemporary, and particularly feminist, issues.

How do you approach a new work?
When beginning a new painting, I am compelled to pick a person, theme or object that will teach me something about my values or ideology as I work. Having a relationship with my subject is essential, and I aim to explore this relationship as I paint.

www.aurorabja.wixsite.com/portfolio
Instagram | @auroraabzug