Linette Kamala – Materialistic Gal

Kamala
21 July 1999 to 14 August 1999

Resistance, a factor of power-play, articulates itself in various guises that can empower the individual or community to create an alternative mode of existence that runs concurrent with mainstream/authoritative systems, and on occasions its rebellious nature often manifests itself in the extreme.

Materialistic Gal focused on individual power and how the contemporary urban women that Kamala portrays, seek to define themselves. The desire to revel in material excess and allude to the glamorous lifestyles real or imagined is at their disposal through the cosmetic: fashion, body sculpture, hairstyling and personal possessions. Call Me depicts a close-up shot of a taloned hand with a fingernail monographed SEXY in gold, clutching a leopard skin-covered mobile phone; Getting Freaky With It features the lower body of a fit female with red and gold ‘batty riders’ in a provocative pose. It is an outward expression of the ego and in some cases clears the path for the alter-ego to breathe and be noticed.

This series of mixed-media works by Kamala explored through her chosen models how self-definition can be attained. Sexual prowess, humour, confidence and vanity are some of the elements explored in her inquiry.