Artist Statement
This body of work explores complexities of identity, privacy, and personal resilience through the depiction of women with their faces obscured by men’s ties, other inanimate objects, and hair moving in the turbulence of what it is to be a woman today. These figures inhabit intimate, interior spaces that evoke a sense of both confinement and freedom. The act of covering or concealing parts of the body serves as a visual metaphor for the intricate process of self-knowledge - how we choose to present ourselves to the world, while also acknowledging that our society asks aging women to be unseen. I am interested in the weight we carry from our experiences and the invisible burdens of trauma and history that shape our lives. Outside impact beyond our control, that of misogyny, sexual assault, and gender inequity feed the work. The delicate balance between vulnerability and strength and the quiet resilience that defines the human spirit are central to my practice. I seek to represent not only what is visible but also the profound layers of what remains unseen.
Tara Centybear has worked as a museum curator and public art administrator for 19 years and currently holds the position of Curator of Art at the Boise Art Museum. Centybear received her MFA program from Goldsmiths’ College, University of London, and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work has been exhibited across the globe, including in London, Italy, New York, Chicago, San Diego, Seattle, Utah, Portland, and Boise, Idaho.