Ashten Houpt

My work is a representation of the world through my eyes. I am one of many who read the tabloids, mindless magazines and rumor-filled blogs. Media is ubiquitous and is an inescapable part of daily life. Scanning through many fashion magazines, I am affected by the pressures pushed upon us as women: to be thin, tan, covered with make up and dressed in a certain way. My art reflects these pressures by presenting them in a new medium.

Most of my work starts with an image of me. I then go to the web and/or fashion magazines and find images of features that could be “fixed” or “altered”. My collages are bold yet simple; they are focused on the figure rather than the backgrounds. The figures are distorted, some obvious and some less apparent, but always there. I construct the figure from anatomic obsessions that women have: huge lips, artificial breasts, extra long eyelashes. The figures are made of every commercial advertisement in the media; what we are told is beautiful.

I, too, struggle with these pressures, questioning my body, my eating habits and overall appearance. What is beautiful? What image are we trying to portray? As a woman I feel a need to be in shape, feel sexy and beautiful; but when are we pushing the envelope?