Description
This series was originally inspired by jewelry editorial images Kristin Simmons saw in magazines and feature original photographs that have been translated into one of-a-kind, mixed media pieces. It was important for Simmons to use real women in the photographs because today, as she observes, “in advertising and branding, people will sniff out something so quickly if it isn’t authentic or if it’s overly crafted.”
The artist wanted the images to be representative of the zeitgeist of millennials and women today, and so selected three of her close friends to model the jewelry (by Larkspur and Hawk) and even posed for photos herself. Each of the women have real-life, high-powered careers, and the images posit the idea that women can, and should, be tenacious and driven, but can also be feminine and unapologetic. Combining humorous, satirical slogans, Taliswomen is not only about the double-standards surrounding female identity, but also about challenging what institutions expect or deem unacademic art, and questioning what constitutes “valuable” subject matter.
