“Female Form,” an exhibit opening at Cooper-Young’s Jay Etkin Gallery, “explores the way the female body is glorified, fractured, obfuscated, multiplied, and rebuilt through the artist’s gaze.” It also announces the arrival of Awakened Space, an education center for young moms and moms-to-be, that Etkin’s daughter Zoe is opening inside the gallery.
After living in Los Angeles for 8 years, younger Etkin decided to return to Memphis shortly after becoming a mom herself. In L.A. she’d worked as a doula, helping women have safe, meaningful birthing experiences. She wanted to continue that same kind of work here, in a creative, welcoming environment.
“Female Form” and Awakened Space at Jay Etkin Gallery
“The female form has been represented in art since the beginning,” Etkin says, referencing goddess paintings, images of Mary in western religious art traditions, and the inevitable conflict and controversy images of the female body would seem to inspire. “We have both male and female artists showing,” she says, finding interest in the way various perspectives distort and obfuscate.
The artwork ranges from contemporary to traditional/tribal and showcases artists like Alla Bartoshchuk, Mary Jo Karimnia, Roy Tamboli, and Juan Rojo, among others.
Etkin’s Awakened Space specializes in childbirth education and breastfeeding support, with new mom groups and specialty workshops like an upcoming baby sleep class.
