Natalia AriasFemininity Beyond Archetypes

Femininity Beyond Archetypes: Photography by Natalia Arias of Colombia highlights themes closely connected with OAS (Organization of Americas States) values through AMA's mission to promote social impact through the arts and the Inter-American Commission of Women's (CIM) work towards gender equality and the participation and leadership of women. "Femininity" is a social construction that has been defined and redefined by ideological discourses over time and from culture to culture. Colombian photographer Natalia Arias presents her own perspective on femininity, going beyond pre-established archetypes, challenging imposed generalizations, and emphasizing elements of feminine identity and empowerment rooted in both history and the female anatomy. This exhibition, open from July 17 to October 5, 2014, features two of Arias's series: Taboo (1999-2005) and Venus (2005-2010). Taboo exemplifies her departure from rigid discourses on femininity, where social values champion perfect physiques while religious ideologies dismiss the natural processes of women. The Venus series explores ways in which the notion of "Venus" has been interpreted throughout history. After the creation of the iconic goddess of love and beauty in Greco-Roman times, academics have identified "Venus" in a plethora of manifestations of femininity. Arias examines these long-standing ideas by reworking historical Venuses from those of ancient cultures to the present. This exhibition is presented with the Nohra Haime Gallery and with the support of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM), the Permanent Mission of Colombia to the OAS, the Embassy of Colombia to the United States, and the Friends of the Art Museum of the Americas. For more information visit: http://www.museum.oas.org