Paper Thin

Feminist philosophers such as Susan Bordo states that all Western women suffer from some degree from the effects of eating disorders; some are just more functional and fly under the radar. But eating disorders hinder all women’s potential. My Siamese cat sculpture, Paper Thin, speaks about sexuality and how women are viewed as sex objects, but from the anorexic’s point of view.

My sculpture, Paper Thin, stars a cat. Cats are a symbol of agency, which many people envy. This can visually be seen in their long, lean, flexible bodies, something our culture admires. There’s a certain raw sexuality exclusive to a queen screaming while mating at midnight in the bushes under your bedroom window with the barbed penis of a tom cat. meanwhile, you’ve got to get up for work in a few hours. I was inspired by Manet’s Olympia when creating this sculpture. It guided me in how I positioned my cat’s two mirroring bodies, which grow from her single neck.

Artwork Info

Type of Work sculpture
Medium plaster, plastic taxidermy eyes, noses, and mouths, and oil paint on top of a foam taxidermy base
Dimensions 54” long x 20” wide x 11" tall
Subject Matter animal figure (cat)

Artist Info

Lesley Silvia

Graduate Student
Joined: October 21, 2013

Rights: All Rights Reserved

Appears In 1 Album

36 items

Lesley Silvia LRVS MFA Thesis 2016