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Artist Name: Madison Burke
Title: FRUIT BEARING WOMAN
Medium: Air-drying clay, gesso, mod podge, and fresh fruit
Size/Dimension: Variable
Year: 2020
Artist Statement:
I find the similarities in the ways we talk about women and the ways we talk about orchards interesting. Is the soil fertile? Does the tree bear fruit? Does the woman bear children? With ‘Fruit Bearing Woman’ I exploited these similarities, using fresh fruit to represent the pregnant belly. Since forever, women have turned to motherhood for a sense of purpose, seeking identity through reproduction. I left the figures near featureless to highlight this and place emphasis on the fruits. Each figure is identified by the fruit that they bear. ‘Fruit Bearing Woman’ explores the ways in which fertility and choices around childbearing have led both society and individuals alike to define women.