Fragile Strength

“Fragile Strength” depicts the paradox of female strength—must it be masculinized to become legitimate, or can we redefine what “strength” means altogether? This was catalyzed by my participation in conventionally “masculine” activities. Between the ages of 11 - 17, while playing basketball or deadlifting 100 kilograms in the gym, I often heard comments like “go easy on her, she's a girl.” I wondered about what makes activities inherently gendered—or if they even are so in the first place. In “Fragile Strength,” the ceramic medium depicts fragility, while the cobalt blue design showcases the feminine conventions that emphasize on daintiness. The medium and the aesthetics, however, contrast with the object, a boxing glove, that is symbolic of the myriad of activities that we are preconditioned to consider masculine. In juxtaposing the two, I attempted to create tension between the form and content, an eternal tussle in art history.