| Rossina Bossio Artist Statement | Share This
Rennes, France |
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http://rossinabossio.com/I present to you The Holy Beauty Project, a series of artworks inspired by religious art and fashion. This project is a satyr of seduction, a homage to my roots and the most ambitious creative journey I’ve embarked myself in.
My name is Rossina Bossio. I was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and I currently live in Rennes, France. Back in my hometown I was raised by my mother, a former fashion model who turned into an extremely devoted Christian after she divorced my father. I also went to Catholic School for girls, where I was taught to be a very sweet, feminine, chaste and obedient girl.
Growing up surrounded by Bibles, Fashion magazines and highly conservative women, it's understandable I have a hard time dealing with religion and female stereotypes. But I also developed a big passion towards religious art and fashion. It's not just a matter of aesthetics, I'm mostly interested in the great amount of questions they arise. I see a lot of elements in common between the two: they both stand in a pedestal of apparent beauty, happiness and general perfection, bringing forth idealized representations to seduce us, poor common mortals. Consequently, they have a mayor influence in our behavior and the way we conceive our bodies.
The Catholic Church was probably the first big enterprise to use the power of images to sell beliefs and values, and propagate their dogma (more particularly during the Counter-form and in European-colonized territories such as my country). Is this really that different from a clothes advertising campaign aiming to expand a brand by convincing an audience to buy their products?
Merging visual elements from religious art and contemporary fashion advertising campaigns, The Holy Beauty project sets a parallel between ancient and current icons (celebrities, fashion models, pop stars, etc) and explores the seductive power of images. It also aims to show our inability to exist without hierarchies, and our constantly renewed need for gods/idols capable of making sense out of life's absurdity.
This is a project in progress. Incorporating different media (painting, video and performance), the artworks will be organized in Volumes, each one including a filmed performance and a series of 5 to 6 paintings. The first Volume is nearly finished:
http://rossinabossio.com/theholybeautyproject
With the help of 3rdWard, a second volume of The Holy Beauty Project (with bigger paintings and more sophisticated videos and performances) would be on its way!
