01-08-2025
Artist Saya Woolfalk's ‘Monstrous Feminine Bodies' Exemplify Urgent Need To Embrace Empathy And Celebrate Womanhood
Derived from cells of two or more genetically distinct individuals, life-sized fictional figures evolve from a whimsical science fiction universe bursting with vibrant color and layered with textures. The chimera appear to float toad a star. as if drawn into another plane of existence.
Composed of natural and synthetic fibers, mannequins, handmade paper, spandex bodysuits, beads, notions, shoes, poly fill, paint, and gel medium, Saya Woolfalk's Chimera from her 2012 The Empathics series challenge the viewer's perception, as they are led into a narrative fantasy.
African, African American, Japanese, European, and Brazilian cultures collide, as life-sized and larger-than-life female figures inhabit two floors of gallery space at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York. These strange yet sublime figures offer an escape from a world that's become increasingly misunderstood amid raging geopolitical strife.
The first retrospective of Woolfalk's two decades of world-building installations, Saya Woolfalk: Empathic Universe, on view at MAD through Sept. 7 introduces audiences to an imagined race of women called Empathics.
Woolfalk's Empathics create a singular visual narrative through a truly immersive and interactive installations that invite close inspection. She wants viewers to become intimately acquianted with her array of colorful imagery, symbolism, and folklore. Her garment-based sculptures, video, paintings, works on paper, and performances, break down cultural boundaries and re-imagines a universe by welcoming viewers into her feral, fantastical feminist dialogue.
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The emergence of Empathics is timely and urgent, as we grapple with semantic rage that divides folks encumbered by the hateful, inhumane pettiness of political sunder. First introduced in 1909 by psychologist Edward B. Titchener, the English term empathy derives from the German einfühlung, meaning "feeling into.' Art that stirs emotions fosters empathy and enables people to see beyond their own socioeconomic and cultural. Controversy swirls from both sides of political duopoly in the United States. Self-described conservatives recklessly dispensing nonsense terms like "selective empathy" or "toxic empathy". Some conservatives claim that an overemphasis on empathy may lead to policies that favor certain groups, espcially those aligned with liberal causes. While empathy has long been associated with liberal ideals, new psychological research published in Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin suggests that liberals may struggle more than conservatives to empathize with political opponents.
On a blazing summer day in New York City, Woolfalk's otherworldly world provided an oasis for the body, soul, and creative spirit.
