Adrienne Stalek

In my work, personal experience is informed by research on the history of western science, art, medicine and the development of western institutions. I am particularly interested in identifying attitudes and ideas about women's bodies and femininity from the historical past through to the present.

My media and the forms of my pieces are representative of the overlap of art and science and the book as both an art form and a resource. From antiquity, artists have been called upon to create images that communicated visually as well as document scientific process and discovery. These traits of beauty, communication and functionality are what inspire me to continue my exploration.

The pieces are weavings of text and images, both self-generated and culled from history and contemporary media. In my work, I use the layering of visual and written information to reveal the effects of cultural and social institutions' practices and deeply-held ideas on the lives of women.