Mather has challenged the burden of history and the various places women have been assigned in society—her roles as goddess, as witch, as magician, as a bimbo, or as an emanation of an animal spirit. In cross-disciplinary fashion, Mather has attempted to deconstruct the burden of these roles in a series of painted images, sculptures, performances, and a video. As political art, this is an ambitious show without being overbearing, or, in fact, particularly reckless. Although the performances pushed the volume up, literally and figuratively, they did not drown out the artist’s multi-layered messages about women needing to take back their image and construct new ways of seeing their place in the world. If the past is prologue, then the past for Mather is a cautionary tale to be dragged to a new altar of meaningful speculation and then dissected for its historical crippling effects and hints of a permanent liberation. First comes awareness of our past; then comes deconstruction, followed by the freedom to walk insouciantly in stiletto heels, for example, and then to abandon them at will in order to reach higher ground.
Read the full article at Southwest Contemporary