"Swimsuits series" about Women’s rights

Join the circle of “The Swimsuits series: A pictorial reflection on women’s rights” on display at the Jay Heritage Center in Rye NY.

Artist statement

Painter Fleur Spolidor's work in The Swimsuits Series primarily focuses on exploring the societal constraints and expectations placed upon women, often through powerful imagery that confronts issues like women's health, gender inequality, body image, and the limitations imposed by societal norms; her paintings in the "Rules, Responsibilities, Restraints: women’s pursuit of equity" exhibition, recently canceled at the United Nations Headquarters, directly reflected this theme by showcasing large scale artwork that visually depicts the challenges women face, highlighting the need for gender equity on a global scale.

The 12 paintings represent 12 distinct meaningful subject matters: Bathing suit censor: The way women dress (or undress) has always been strictly regulated by laws. Social History of American Swimming pool: different races, genders, and social classes provoked violent conflicts in place of leisure. Between gold and survival skills:: leading by example. By changing the vision, artists and athletes alike are working on changing the outcome. Pink tax: For every dollar men earn, women earn 77 cents. Women carry out at least 2.5 times more unpaid work than men. At the current rate, it will take 257 years to close the global gender pay gap”. (UN news) Body Dysmorphia: distorted body image. Social media doesn’t cause BD, butcan amplify the condition. Breastfeeding: sexialisation of the women's body, even in situations where a woman is free to breastfeed in public, there are societal conventions that dictate how it must be done for it to be considered an "appropriate" activity. Aging gracefully: Around the world, women often have pension balances that are 30-40% lower than those of men making their financial situation extremely precarious. Health care: The United States joins just three other nations that have reduced access to abortion since 1994, Poland, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Mental Load: This burden is still today mainly borne by women, due to its lack of visibility, this load has no time limit, it can be performed anywhere and anytime. Violence against women: According to estimates made by the WHO, around one in three (30%) women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner abuse or non-partner sexual violence at some point in their lives. LGBTQIA+ justice: Bullying, persecution, and gender-based violence are just a few of the many ways that LGBTQIA+ persons can be subjected to discrimination and violence, as well as being denied employment or access to necessary medical treatment. Around the world, protests calling for the protection of LGBTQIA+rights are violently repressed. Disability Justice:Women with disabilities account for 10% of all women globally. Women and girls with disabilities experience double discrimination: firstly as women or girls they suffer the same discriminations as any other women or girls, secondly because of their handicaps, they are more fragile and cannot defend themselves when facing predatory behaviors.

The "Swimsuits Series" is a visual representation of the surreal challenges women face in society. Comprising twelve panels, each painted in acrylics on a collage of recycled materials, the series draws inspiration from real women's personal stories, news articles, and historical facts. The twelve women, depicted wearing only a bathing suit, serve as a metaphor for the twelve months of the year and the twelve labors of Hercules, symbolizing the impossible tasks that women face.

The bathing suit is used as a symbol of vulnerability and insecurity, as it is often seen as a revealing garment that can make women feel self-conscious. It also serves as a marker of women's status in society, highlighting their position as a constant subject of scrutiny.

The idea behind the series is inspired by the marketing technique of placing brands or products on people's clothing, turning them into walking advertisements. In this case, the women are advocating for their rights and speaking out against various struggles and hardships.

Each panel represents a specific story, but they also dialogue with one another, creating a narrative timeline of the situations faced by women. The series tackles issues such as the "pink tax," breastfeeding, and body dysmorphia.

The artwork is created using acrylic paint on a textured collage of recycled materials, which adds a rough and imperfect quality to the paintings. This contrasts with the traditional notion of classical painting as a window into a perfect world. The background structure shines through the painted image, marking the female bodies with imperfection and roughness, much like life's experiences are etched onto our skin. The series offers an unflinching look at contemporary women - imperfect, real, and resilient.

It all began with two striking images that sparked the creation of this powerful and thought-provoking series.