I’ve learned a lot this semester — about topics ranging from feminism to fat studies to queer theory. A topic that has really stuck with me and relates most to my experiences in the world is the idea of questioning and challenging gender norms and the social construct of gender itself. What would happen if we didn’t immediately place ourselves into one of two boxes from birth? What if our entire culture and society wasn’t organized into man and woman, male and female? This doesn’t mean that there’s no value in identifying with one gender over the other (or both or neither) — it’s one of the many ways we are able to understand ourselves. But there’s no reason that something as abstract as gender should define how and where we live, who we love, what we wear, what occupations are available to us, our role in the household, and even how we walk down the street. 

A major part of my Davidson experience has been interning with the Van Every/Smith Galleries in the Visual Arts Center for the past three years. Among many things, I’ve gotten an inside look into how powerful art can be in prompting conversations around various social issues. The exploration of identity has been a common theme among many of the artists and artworks I have encountered — both in my job with the galleries and in my Art History minor. Next semester, I’m taking ART 348: Buying and Collecting Art, co-taught by Dr. Rosaline Kyo in the Art History department and Lia Newman, the director and curator of the galleries. The major project of the class is that, by the end of the semester, we will have the opportunity to propose one or multiple artworks to be acquired by Davidson’s permanent collection. The focus of this search is on diversifying the collection and starting to chip away at systems of oppression that have existed for centuries within art collecting and buying practices at institutions worldwide. 

For my theory to praxis assignment, I want to get a jump start on this project for my final Art History course next semester. In tying together my longtime interest in art and my newfound curiosity about gender, I would like to hypothetically propose the piece Watson by Kim Leutwyler to be added to Davidson’s permanent collection (pictured above). Based in Sydney, Australia, Leutwyler is an American visual artist who is skilled in a range of mediums including painting, installation, ceramics, print media, and drawing. Her more recent work explores themes of beauty, gender, and queer identity. She uses painting as a medium for these works to subvert its masculinized history in the western canon. The piece I have chosen, Watson, comes from a series of colorful paintings of LGBTQ-identified and queer-allied women. In this series, Leutwyler paints realistic portraits of her close friends against bold abstract backgrounds in a celebration of diversity and identity (Leutwyler). 

The individual featured in this portrait is Melbourne-based musician Shan Watson. They host workshops for trans/non-binary/gender questioning people who need a safe space to explore their identity. On her website, Leutwyler writes that Watson’s “own relationship to gender is in a constant state of fluctuation, as conveyed through layering color, abstraction and figurative realism in this work” (Leutwyler). I was drawn to this piece because it’s a wonderful example of how gender isn’t something that can be “seen.” Watson displays expected physical attributes of women — nose ring, nipple piercings, the appearance of breasts —  and of men — short hair, boxers, a “Mum” tattoo, and armpit hair. Watson’s fist is placed inside their boxers, alluding to the presence of male genitalia. The word “handsome” is written across the waistband of their boxers — a potential identification with masculinity and male standards of beauty. The point of this portrait is not to try and “figure out” what Watson’s gender is or how they identify. Rather, Leutwyler beautifully captures Watson’s confidence and pride in their body through the way they don’t try to cover themselves and even have their arm raised above their head to further reveal their body.

Beyond being acquired by the Van Every/Smith Galleries, I would like to propose that this piece be added to the galleries’ art in residence halls program, ArtMate, which is launching a pilot this spring. Bringing this piece into a residence hall — a shared living space where bodies are constantly on display — will spark important conversations about identity and the ways in which dorms are designed to exclude and ostracize individuals whose identities do not align with the male/female binary. Additionally, like Alok Menon explores in their Instagram book reports, contemporary westernized standards of male and female beauty are not the norm; in other parts of the world throughout history, there isn’t such a stark divide between what a man should look like and what a woman should look like. I’m looking forward to bringing the knowledge I have gained through GSS 101 to my art history seminar next semester, and having the opportunity to propose a piece like this to be added to the college collection, leaving something permanent behind when I graduate in May.

Works Cited

“Kim Leutwyler.” Artist’s website. Accessed 4 Dec 2021. https://kimleutwyler.com/page/1-BIO.html.