Shiraz Agichtein

The bond shared between women is sacred. Women find comfort in other women– in the smile passed between two skirted strangers walking alone at night, the gentle touch of a mother braiding her daughter’s hair, or the whispered giggles of friends finding joy in moments of hardship. Women have always depended on one another. The strength in this community of togetherness is the nature of femininity. As a state of being it is impossible to define: to confine it to one single  definition would reduce the effervescent individualistic essence of womanhood. 

My work is an intimate exploration of the bonds between women, approaching femininity as a dynamic indefinable process. I conducted a series of one-on-one interviews with the women closest to me, candidly revealing their personal definitions of femininity and expression of womanhood. These portrait reflections are composed utilizing natural and symbolic imagery informed by each woman’s diverse and authentic perspectives.  I implement surrealist techniques into classical portraiture in exploration of the feminine subconscious. My practice challenges the historical representation of women in art by shifting them from passive subjects, as the muse of the male artist,  to active collaborators in the works themselves. Each portrait is a tribute to the subject it represents, together forming a visual and emotional thread that honors the universal connection shared among women.