Friday, January 31, 2014
Thursday, January 09, 2014
The Army Wife Now at NIH
Kristin
La Flamme’s intricately sewn textiles tell a story of The Army Wife, the
expectation and realities in the world of the military spouse. Adapting
domestic items such as aprons, quilts, and sheets La Flamme juxtaposes upbeat
imagery with the very serious business of life as an Army Wife. Her use of the
aprons references a retro-housewife and as La Flamme said in her artist
statement, “the clash of expectations vs. reality, which is also the clash a
military spouse experiences daily.”
While these textiles are
visually stunning, they belie a life where one is somewhat of a “nomad.”
Perhaps the inability to settle down and plant roots as an Army Wife has
challenged traditional ideals of family and community. Thus inspiring La Flamme
to look back on the retro-housewife days of Leave it to Beaver and The Brady
Bunch. As supportive as we are for our troops, La Flamme approaches the
conversation of war, personal issues, and the numerous roles a spouse must play
from the other side, that of the home front, and she does it in a
cheerful and elegant light.
The
Army Wife by Kristin La Flamme is on exhibit now at NIH’s Clinical Center, 3rd
Floor and will run until March 2014.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)