Mary L. Peng

Based in Boston, US, Mary L. Peng is an internationally showcased self-taught multi-media artist, spanning collage, digital work, painting, mixed-media installation, and photography, whose oeuvre delves into the intricate links between the human body and psyche, reality, perception, and nature. Blending visual elements as organic living forms, Peng’s work oscillates between outright exploration of visceral aesthetics and the probing of philosophical and sociopolitical concepts on constructionism and connectedness. Peng sets out to capture the contradiction and harmony of human existence by exploring the ever-evolving dynamic between material and transcendental realities.

For Peng’s selected bibliography, please visit https://www.marypeng.com/artistbio

Artist Statement

"The Body and the Gaze"

"The Body and the Gaze" responds to the policing of gender in a world of insidious socio-political and epistemological control. It features collages of aesthetic yet grotesque figures with an unsettling yet alluring presence, gazing outward while simultaneously being gazed upon. The visage, crafted from disparate pastel elements, aim to evoke a sense of simultaneous gentleness and unease.

The "gaze" acts as a metaphorical lens through which the viewer is invited to examine the complexities of gender policing. The central figures gaze outward, confronting the viewer, demanding to be seen and acknowledged. Simultaneously, they are subjected to the voyeuristic gaze of the external world, highlighting the scrutiny upon every individual’s performance of their given or claimed gender.

Aesthetic and grotesque elements merge within each print, creating a tension that challenges the notion of a fixed and singular identity, inviting viewers to question the performative nature of gender. It exposes the societal pressures that push individuals towards conformity and the toll it takes on their mental well-being.

"The Body and the Gaze" is ultimately a visual exploration of a world on the brink of madness, where the performance of gender has reached its breaking point. It confronts the viewer with a stark reflection of the societal constructs that confine and limit individuals, and the resulting inner turmoil that can ensue. Through its aesthetic choices, it seeks to provoke discomfort and challenge the viewer's own complicity in perpetuating these norms.