November 2 – December 2, 2023
These paintings played with the duality of softness and attitude, embodying the tension between beauty and sexual power.
Emma Hapner: Cowgirls & Mermaids at VillageOneArt explored unbridled feminine power through the lens of contemporary realism. Hapner pointed to the agency of owning feminine identity in making work, as she “embraces the color pink as a symbol of unapologetic femininity.” Hapner created striking portraits of powerful female figures embracing their inner confidence in a swirl of pink, saturated sunset hues. In her detail-oriented compositions, Hapner projected the self-assured woman who understood her place in the world. These paintings played with the duality of softness and attitude, utilizing the conduit of imagery embedded within the masculine archetype of the cowboy of the Wild West in order to embody this tension between beauty and sexual power. As the artist notes, embodying each of these qualities “…does not detract from the other.”
Engaging aspects of fantasy and storytelling present in works such as those created by photographer David LaChapelle or artist Nina Chanel Abney, Hapner’s compositions gracefully navigated beauty as a means of protection and empowerment in a game of dress-up disguising play as power. Viewers of Hapner’s work were invited to dive into possibilities present just beneath the picture plane to unleash aspects of our identity present in the realm of fantasy.
Works in the Exhibition
Cowgirls & Mermaids was on view at VillageOneArt, 150 West 25th Street, Suite 403, New York, from November 2 to December 2, 2023. For inquiries regarding available works by Emma Hapner, please contact info@villageoneart.com.