My current practice is an investigation of the idea of femininity as a masquerade. This idea stems from Lacanian psychoanalytic theories about heterosexual desire and the roles each gender plays in a relation to the symbolic phallus.[1] With this in mind femininity is a masquerade to appear to ‘be’ the phallus so as to confirm the masculine position of ‘having’ the phallus.  Whereas the male would appear to fit his role without performance, a female wishing to be desired must perform her role as phallic female[2], which I believe is epitomised by representations of women made for the enjoyment of men.  Hence my references to the pin-up girl and the classical nude (which has in a history been regarded in the same way as the pin-up despite the high regard they are now viewed under).  This similarity prompted my use of classical painting techniques, a pointer to the fact that the ideal phallic female has remained the same throughout the history of representation.  The idealism present in these images also parallels the idealism of the painted or airbrushed contemporary pin-up or Page Three girl.  All of the figures in my work are myself masquerading as the ideal in an absurd parody of my own socially constructed gendered identity. By overdoing the performance I am attempting to highlight the artifice of the ideal and how any subject adopting a gendered appearance is performing a role.

 My works all imitate either specific classical paintings of ideal femininity, or refer to general themes in classical painting such as portraiture of unidentified ‘ladies’ and the bathing scene.  Overall I hope to create imagery which is serious in its address to a particular social trend of representation but more importantly captures an element of humour, the use of parody and the ridiculous hopefully articulates this to the viewer.

 To create idealised images I have used glazes of oils to give an intense, shiny painted surface, so you can almost see yourself in them.  This traditional and authoritative technique serves to enhance the precious and sacred natures of the image of femininity presented here as it has been throughout art history and popular culture.  Seeing an image of ‘woman’ presented in this high art style encourages an instinctive way of interacting with the works by the viewer (that of respect for a particular king of “real” art) however on closer inspection the ridiculous subject of the paintings encourages a questioning of the preconceptions the viewer brought to the work when they encountered the subject of the female form.

 Overall I hope my work raises questions about the image of woman presented to society throughout history and, through parody and humour, reveals this image to be an artificial social construction.

Contact Helen at

root@helenmackay.co.uk