Dressed | BETSY TIMMER

Betsy Timmer’s Dressed exhibition is striking. Simultaneously soft yet harsh, inviting yet off-putting. The work, of which the above photo shows only a portion (I didn’t have my camera with me during my initial gallery visit, so I took this image from the Arts Incubator Flickr stream) capitalizes on the traditional feminine social roles with an exaggerated and overbearing presentation.

The pieces cohere in theme (motherly roles), presentation (anthropomorphic design), and material (fabric, primarily cotton and wool), while never exhausting any individual element. The stretched dress (“Everyday Dress”) is as striking as the the flowing gown (“Rag Rug”) is as striking as the creeping legs (“Pressing On”)

Details about many of the pieces included in this exhibition can be found at Betsy Timmer’s homepage.

Photo credit: Arts Incubator’s Cocoon Gallery Flickr stream