Tenee’ Hart – Beau Idéal: A Conception of Perfect Beauty

Opening Night: April 5, 2019 | Friday 6:00 – 8:00pm

In David Hume’s essay, Moral and Political, he states that, “beauty in things exists merely in the mind which contemplates them.” This idea of beauty being subjective to the viewer is not a new one. Yet we, as a society, still instill ideals of what beauty is and how it should be perceived. My purpose through this exhibition is to make known these sometimes gruesome and overlooked truths of cultural beauty, in order to awaken viewers to the pain women, willing, put themselves through for societal acceptance.

“Tenee’ Hart’s site specific, fiber art installations are something not normally seen in Sarasota. We’re thrilled to be able to represent this kind of artist and installation in our SPAACES gallery and bring the community something exciting, new and unique to talk about.” – Marianne Chapel

Tenee’ Hart is an ‘unconventional’ fiber sculpture artist pursuing themes of feminism that delve into topics of beauty, anatomy, and injustices of women. Material usage throughout her practice is critical due to their innate history and meanings. Hart hails from Virginia, where she was born and raised. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Mary Washington in 2011. Later, Hart pursued and currently holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree from Florida State University, where she has been teaching, at the college level, since 2014. She enjoys dinosaurs, radical feminism, glitter, stickers, fur babies, and everything that is the 80’s!

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Artist Statement:
Sitting at my grandmother’s feet, the thunderous roar of the sewing machine would cease with a sudden clank of a lever falling into place, the sound of the unraveling spool, led to the severing of this single tie. Excess would be snipped away, and with each pass of the metal edges, the pile would grow larger. I was lured to these remnants sinking into the carpeted floor, their frayed edges and abstract bodies. Making something out of this rubble was my mission, knotting ragged ends together and wrapping the whole bouquet of mishmash with, what felt like, miles of unwanted thread. What I didn’t realize at the age of three, was that I would be forever imprinted by this experience.

The pairing of aesthetic beauty with topics that shock, entice, or disturb serve as staples in my work. The woman as creator, woman as the oppressed and the self-perception of the woman are just some of the themes explored throughout my work. The pairing of these topics with formal aesthetics can, in turn, make these subjects more approachable. In a way, I am attempting to attract my viewers with formal aesthetics by beautifying the grotesque, unjust, and bizarre. I believe this visual attractiveness of my work lulls the audience into a false sense of security so that they can then be informed by the work.

For more information we invite you to visit the artist’s website: http://teneehart.com/