the Informer

Andy Swetz

For senior Krista LaBella, the ability to channel and tap into a critical artistic self-realization didn’t come in her regularly assigned projects.

With her sculptor exhibit “Oh My God, I Think I’m A Feminist!” opening this past Saturday in the Silpe Gallery of the Art School for six days of display, LaBella’s work not only went on to speak for itself but also raise awareness of a topic that seems to have lost attention today.

“It was some sort of epiphany,” LaBella expressed in her artistic statement about her latest accomplishment. In a pursuit to tackle the issue of the stereotypical role of women in modern society, LaBella, an English major turned contemporary sculptor, put on a genuine and truthful display of an exhibit reflecting her personal beliefs.

When first entering the exhibit, my ears were the first part of me to get a feel for the caliber of seriousness and reality on display in front of me.

Strategically placed in the far corner of the gallery, LaBella’s more modern attempt at touching on the feminine struggle of herself drowning in water on a television screen was what struck me first.

Proceeding through the exhibit trying hard to feel for what lay before me in its purposeful position, I became engulfed in the objects of years of repression and victimization transformed into something new.

Intertwining conformity with self-control, on display stood powerful symbols of a female struggle with body image and expectation. Among those works hanging from the ceiling was “Hangman’s Knot” and “For You” that struck me the most.
A noose of pearls and lingerie with fiberglass insulation, these two works show the other side of the issue with women as the overlooked victims.

“I am drawn to the tangibility of 3-D art and the conceptual nature of most sculpture,” LaBella said as she explained her inspiration and drive that lead to her latest work.

Driving towards the deeper struggles of women that seem to miss mainstream media and are almost completely suppressed, LaBella does a remarkable job at juxtaposing the reality of a stereotype with the freedom a woman possesses in her decisions.

On display near the center of the gallery stood a wooden ironing board with an assorted set of knives evenly spaced out on it. Titled “Mundane,” the piece offers an idea of gender roles and the uses of the knives beyond kitchen duties. While challenging these sexist ideals with her art, LaBella uses the realm of the third dimension to solidify her attempt at displaying women’s new role in a changing world.

“Within this work, I am positioning woman and her place in a new world- one where she has complete control over herself, over her life, her body, her sexuality and her ideas.”

What makes the exhibit one of extreme weight and importance is the message it gives to those who experience it. What seemed to be a common factor in LaBella’s work throughout her time at Hartford, the theme of a new woman standing beyond the oppression and stereotypes of society proves to be one of growing attention.Leaving the exhibit thoroughly impressed, I applaud the creative approach of one student’s exhibit with high praise.