Abstract
Ambiguous Love: A Reflection of Self in Relation to Popular Romance Fiction encapsulates the essence of my Master of Arts Degree consisting of one third exegesis and two thirds studio practice. As the title suggests this research revolves around a teenage fascination for popular romance fiction that informs the autobiographical theme within my studio practice. The impetus for this research project was a solo exhibition in 2005 entitled Where is she? where I began to actively draw upon autobiographical themes within my work using metaphorical references to popular romance and traditional fairy tales to address the clichés of ‘idealized romance’ and the cultural myth of ‘happy every after’.The aim of this research is to understand the dominant discourses that have informed the evolution of popular romance influences such as patriarchal and sexual ideologies, popular literature and gender constructs. In turn this research has provided the basis of my autobiographical work within my studio practice and assisted in placing it within both an art historical and contemporary art context. Working from a cultural studies perspective my aim is not to critique these dominant discourses. Rather, it is to achieve a process of empowerment through knowledge and understanding which will, in turn, inform the ongoing cultural negotiation of my ‘interpersonal’ and creative scripts.
| Date of Award | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Supervisor | Sylvia Kleinert (Supervisor) & Catherine Elizabeth Bowdler (Supervisor) |