Barbara Smith

Cameos are miniature sculptural art; windows into the cultural past. They are intended as statements, as commemorative adornment, and are often metaphors for human emotions and experiences. Typically worn by women, cameos are objects in dialogue with the body and the psychological self.
The word “cameo” conjures images of beauty. The tooth as portrait is both beautiful and grotesque, yet recalls the pale colored profiles of women; it plays with expectation and provides a recognizable starting point for narrative. This juxtaposition of the living body with the lifeless body elicits both attraction and repulsion with the material and the meaning.

Materials: Sterling silver, gold filled wire, stainless steel, acupuncture needles, tooth, hair, velvet, muslin, cotton, pearls

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so happy together:

~ by borderlinebarbie on July 9, 2008.