JENNIFER PETERS
Onna-musha
Repurposed Metal, Weathered Branches, Discarded Light Fixture, Chair Leg, Rusted Armor, Piano Cables, Plaster Cast, Rebar, Cattails, Antler Sheds, Unidentified Bones, Beaver Skull/Teeth, Remnant Deer Skull, Horse Girth, Rusted Nails, Driftwood, Found Object High-Heeled Shoe
84 H x 34 W x 49 D In.
$5500
The term Onna-musha refers to the female warriors in pre-modern Japan who fought alongside samurai as members of the bushi (warrior) class. They were trained in the use of weapons to protect their family and honor in times of war; a fitting name for this portrait of the modern female.
She is both strong and in motion; her elegant skirt at play within the energy she extends towards the viewer. Her narrative is written upon her face, her clawed fingertips and the emboldened stance of her stunning hair, She has had to take on the ‘“inherently male” in order to be taken seriously as both a woman, an artist and a mother. Hence, her bare foot, a somewhat phallic protrusion, juts promiscuously from beneath her gown beckoning a smile as she prepares to launch her creative debut.