Will You Remember Me?
Michele Allen Fulkerson's M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition, Will You Remember Me? Self-Portraits as Self-Evidence is on view in the entry and main gallery from May 2 - June 7, 2025.
Read more about this exhibition below.
The "F" Word
This 24" x 24 " mixed media work on canvas includes acrylic paint, and layers of art history textbook pages and self-portrait photography. Emerging off the pages of well-known images by artists like Vermeer and VanGogh, and text peeking through the paint and photograph are the backdrop of this work, looking ahead to a future where women artists are equally represented in curriculum and art history texts.
Utilizing tissue and tracing paper to print photographs, allows for transparency and the look of wrinkled skin, to integrate into the painted surfaces.
The "F" Word, detail
Self-Portrait as Venus
This 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas painting is infused with layers of self-portrait photography. Photographing the self during the painting process represents the embodiment of the painter in action, and to comment on the real woman, and how she is seen in the art world vs. who she is as an artist.
Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting
In this 24"x 20" acrylic on canvas painting, layered photographs printed on tracing paper into wet paint, blur the lines between what is painted and what is photographed. Severed below the nose, this self-portrait is silenced, as in the allegorical representation of La Pittura, a woman icon representing painting who was depicted with a gag around her mouth.
Self-Portrait as a Distant Relative
In the style of portrait paintings from long ago, this 24" x 24" acrylic and photograph work on canvas is an eerie look at representation. Emerging from a dark background, gown slightly disheveled, this piece challenges the viewer to look deeper. Painted flesh tones merge with photographic layers, yes, there is more than one!
Wearing Out Art History
In this 36" x 48" acrylic and photographs on canvas dual portrait, a painted woman looks directly out at the viewer while a self-portrait photograph emerges, looking out in the distance. Sleeve trim is made with shredded art history textbook pages (those that do not mention women artists and the interior of the coat, opened for all to see, is made with images from those same texts.
Wearing Out Art History, detail
Art History or Bust
Torn art history pages, which do not mention women artists, make up these female forms, Fresco-like in appearance; these sculpted forms hang from the wall and are suspended from the ceiling, occupying the gallery alongside the paintings. A close-up look reveals the textbook works and images, and act as a reappropriation of a past that does not include women artists in the canon.
and More...
This is a glimpse of the work in the exhibtion. We hope you have a chance to stop by the Gallery on Saturdays between May 2nd and June 7th, or by appointment. Thank you~ Gallery 163
Layered with history, legacy, and self-reflection, Michele Allen Fulkerson’s M.F.A. thesis exhibition “Will You Remember Me? Self-Portraits as Self-Evidence” highlights the absence of representation of women artists in art history. Michele examines the intersections between history and the self through painting and photographing herself. Held on May 5th - June 7th at Gallery 163 in Port Orford, Oregon, the collection of paintings layered with self-portrait photographs and sculptures assembled from torn art history texts investigates self-portraiture as a richly coded visual message. Self-portraiture can be a riddle or an allegory, a protest or propaganda, or a form of self-expression.
“Will You Remember Me?” highlights that despite the very real social constrictions women in history faced when making art, by wielding a mirror, women had all the tools to forge their way into battle and leave a mark. By painting themselves, they left proof, a statement that showed they had something to say.
About
Michele Allen Fulkerson
Michele is the owner of Gallery 163 and is working on her PhD in Visual Arts at IDSVA. This work is the passion behind her career as a visual artist, bringing awareness of women artists throughout history and documenting the self on this incredible journey called life!
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Follow Michele and see more of her art, writing and research on her website and social media pages linked below.