Kathy Atkins
Artist profile cross-posted at http://queerartsfestival.com
K
athy Atkins
Artist in TransgressionNow, curated Visual Art Exhibition [of the Queer Arts Festival in Vancouver, Canada] Jul 24 – Aug 9 2013.
Kathy Atkins’ art practice is personal and at the same time political. The current primary driving force behind Kathy’s art practice took root while earning a BFA at Emily Carr University; investigating Western social ideals of identity and gender, and how these ideals influence the ways that we think and behave. Since she draws on her internalization of these ideals, and how they manifest in her thinking and behavior, she often employs self-portraiture and humor as vehicles for social critique.
Her work is also influenced by other social structures such as colonialism and class issues. Feminist and Queer Theory inform the perspectives that she takes and the materials that she uses when creating art. As an interdisciplinary artist her use of materials is varied, including but not limited to, video, paint, textiles & embroidery, blood, bronze, granite, and popsicle sticks.
As well as creating material things, Kathy lends herself to being part of creative communities. She is a founding member of the Pride in Art Society and served on the Board of Directors for several years. She is also a founding member of the 901 Artists Cooperative and has served on their Board of Directors.