Swell

new work by Amy Berk, Carolyn Castaño, and Megan Wilson
Meridian Gallery, San Francisco, California
February 23 - March 23, 1996

Swell is a humorous and glamorously serious take on femininity, its illusions and its power in the 90's.

melonhead, venal violet, warm, cool and bone swell
1996, 48" x 36"; fabrics (velours, fake furs, satins and chiffons) over wire armatures on wood stretcher bars.

In Swell, Amy Berk creates skin-like constructions by binding together fake-furs, translucent chiffons and silky satins and stretching them over wood frames. (and embroidery hoops) These structures serve to reveal amd conceal what is seen on the outside epidermis and what is hidden underneath. Through veiling and unveiling the bumps, lumps, swellings and holes of these hides, Berk pieces together the fragments of femininity.

Snacks

Acme, San Francisco, California
March 1 - March 31, 1996

snacks, @ 7' x 10', chiffon, fake fur and pins on blue industrial styrofoam - 1996

this project was created for an all woman bacchanal of the same name that happened in the alternative space ACME in March of 1996.

snacks is created from styrofoam, pins, chiffon and images of cows, sheep and ducks (stand ins for the feminine?!?!) -

very tasty! and all within a hans hoffman formalist structure.