Agitated:
Self-portrait with Washing Machines

24 x 35"
Painted and quilted cotton fabric.

Agitated is a reflection of the artist's ambivalence toward her role as a woman in a post-feminist world. Reincarnated in the form of a faceless spinning robot, she is reduced to juggling frantically as wisps of cloth erupt from an endless succession of floating washing machines.

The piece is heavily influenced by 1950s futurism, as revealed by the juxtaposition of mid-century typography and color palette with futuristic machinery. Like so many other futuristic illustrations, it is rooted firmly in the current era, implying that the future will be just like the present - only more so!

In the fifties version of the future, countless finned aircars bore housewives attired in pearls and high heels. In this version of the future, not only are washing machines still ubiquitous, but they have become the provenance of that cliché of futurism, the faithful household robot.

Closeup:
Washing machine - The machine is the fictional Neoclean brand, complete with mysterious unlabeled knobs.

Ladies' Man