Fruit/Bodies at Garner Narrative

Dawkins paints about the physical and social fragility of bodies through a juxtaposition of human flesh and fruit. She writes, “There’s so much pressure on bodies to look a certain way, to function a certain way, to exist for the pleasure or purposes of others… Who does my body exist for? Why does it exist if it doesn’t function the way society wants it to? Bodies just are—they don’t need to be sexy or beautiful or powerful or effective. A rotten bruised peach is still a peach if it cannot be consumed. Having a body is a practice in vulnerability, especially if that body is met with unwelcome eyes.”

Ann Dawkins earned an MFA from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2019, and a BFA from the University of Louisville in 2013. Dawkins has had exhibitions in Boston, Dallas, Denver, Chicago, and St. Louis; in 2015, she received an Artist Enrichment Grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women. In the spring of 2021, she had a solo exhibition entitled “Vulnerable Vessels” at Middle Georgia State University.

CV http://www.anndawkins.com/cv.html

Attached images:
“Big Fat Feminist Mandarin” (detail)
“Cherries Staining a White Lace Napkin”
“Acidic Lungs”

Venue: Garner Narrative