Interrogation #2

Interrogation #2, Chaz Howkins, 2018, toilet
seat and acrylic on canvas 

Interrogation #2, Chaz Howkins, 2018, toilet
seat and acrylic on canvas 

Interrogation #2, Chaz Howkins, 2018, toilet
seat and acrylic on canvas 

Another interactive work portraying a queer experience of using a public gendered space such as a bathroom.

Ladies Room

Ladies Room, Chaz Howkins, 2017, installation

Ladies Room, Chaz Howkins, 2017, installation

Ladies Room, Chaz Howkins, 2017, installation

Ladies Room, Chaz Howkins, 2017, installation

This interactive artwork encourages the audience to take a tissue from the toilet tissue dispenser and then either keep it or add it to the pile on the floor.  Each tissue has written on it a quote from real life experiences in a gendered space - the women's bathroom.  The quotes come from either my own experiences of presenting androgynously or the experiences of those who present themselves similarly to myself.

Workshop with Lex Randolph

Not So Cuterus, Chaz Howkins, 2017, pen on paper

Not A Penis, Chaz Howkins, 2017, tights, stuffing and thread.

I attended an artist's talk by Lex Randolph at their exhibition Human Becomings at Paper Mountain which was followed by a workshop with the artist.  We were encouraged to use a range of textiles to create artworks which relate to our own gender identities.  I created a drawing which relates to the idea of my body reminding me of my biological sex, which I can often overlook.  I also created an arm made out of stuffed tights and sewed the words "can always be bigger" into; this is due to my insecurities about my arms and how they are simultaneously my favourite and least favourite feature as I'm well aware that they are far from as toned as they could be. 

Concrete Workshop Outcomes

Concrete Fluidity, Chaz Howkins, 2016, concrete

Concrete Fluidity, Chaz Howkins, 2016, concrete

I carved the gender fluidity symbol into a block of styrofoam so that the concrete would cast with the symbol raised on its surface.  Gender fluidity is often dismissed as an identity, so I wanted to cast the symbol in concrete to create a sense of permanence and validity.

Concrete Casting Workshop

Wooden mould

Concrete mixer and moulds

Remains of the mould

During this workshop I created a wooden frame to act as a mould for the concrete and then carved my design into a block of styrofoam and placed it in the bottom of the mould.  I then poured the concrete into the mould, left it overnight to set and dismantled the frame to remove the solid concrete block.

Vinyl Moulding Workshop

Clay covering object

Pouring in the vinyl

During this workshop I watched a demonstration of how to create a vinyl mould.  This is a very time consuming process and I didn't feel I could make it relevant to my practice so I decided against casting an object of my own.

Sculpture Maquette

Middle Finger Maquette, Chaz Howkins, 2016, clay

I created this maquette using clay and may venture into creating a life size version using body casting.  The expressive hands cover where the breasts should be in an attempt to express a sense frustration from being restricted by your physical form.

Death Of Childhood Continued

Childhood Torn Apart, Chaz Howkins, 2015, assemblage on board

I went on from creating the silhouette paintings on collaged backgrounds by taking this idea further and painting on material collaged on board.  I planned to leave the piece at the painted stage but felt it was rather uninteresting, so I decided to collage further by adding doll limbs, clothing and chunks of doll hair.  This turned the piece into more of an assemblage piece as it was now three dimensional.  The scattered limbs and hair give the piece a broken, disconnected feel, as if to represent a childhood which has been torn apart.

Manipulated Barbie Dolls For Sale

Red Barbie For Sale, Chaz Howkins, 2015,
 spray painted Barbie in doll's packaging

Black Barbie For Sale, Chaz Howkins, 2015,
 spray painted Barbie in doll's packaging

Zombie Barbie For Sale, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie in doll's packaging

I decided to place some of my modified Barbies inside a doll's original packaging to make it seem as if they are being sold to children in this state.  They are all quite sinister and inappropriate for children making them stand out in the packaging.  The zombie dolls could realistically be sold as toys for older children, however the doll juxtaposes the labels of the packaging which brands it a 'fashion doll' in its tattered clothing.

The Death of Childhood

The Death of Childhood, Chaz Howkins, 2015, doll attached to canvas

This piece visually communicates a sudden ending of childhood as the doll represents the innocence of childhood, with the stabbing through the canvas representing an incident that suddenly forces childhood to end.  I decided to use a real doll instead of painting one, as I felt it would have more of an intimidating presence, giving the piece a greater sense of reality and making it more hard hitting.

Larger Zombie Barbies

Zombie Barbie Head, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll bust

Zombie Barbie Bust, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll

I decided to revisit my creating of zombie Barbies, however this time I used larger doll busts so I could pay full attention to the facial features.  The harder plastic was more difficult to melt and manipulate, however the larger surface area meant I could incorporate more detail.  The size of the heads makes them seem more lifelike, creating a greater sense of unease for the viewer.

Red Barbies

Red Barbie, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll

Untitled, Chaz Howkins, 2015, photograph

I wanted to experiment with spray painting the dolls in other colours, I chose red so that they appeared bold and eye catching.

Further Manipulated Barbies

Untitled, Chaz Howkins, 2015, photograph

Red-ish Barbies, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie dolls

I used poster paint to colour these dolls instead of spray paint, which gave a more uneven, flakey coverage.  This made them appear less perfect and therefore further from their original form.

Bloody Face Barbie

Bloody Faced Barbie, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll

I wanted to created a piece in which Barbie appears to be forcing a smile through her pain, so I represented her pain quite literally by smearing my own blood on the doll's face.

White Barbie

White Barbie, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll

For this doll, I used snow-spray instead of spray paint, which created a more textured effect.  I think the effect is interesting as it makes the doll completely impractical as it feels wet and the 'snow' comes off when touched, rendering the doll useless as it cannot be played with without making a mess.

Faceless Barbie

Faceless Barbie, Chaz Howkins, 2015, manipulated Barbie doll

For this piece, I used white spirit to remove the facial features of the doll.  I left her clothes and earrings on to make her seem more lifelike, enhancing the eerie effect created by the completely empty eyes.

Further Clay Experimentations

Doll (close up), Chaz Howkins, 2015, clay, paint and doll's body

Untitled, Chaz Howkins, 2015, clay, paint and doll's body 

Untitled, Chaz Howkins, 2015, clay, paint and doll's body

Untitled (close up), Chaz Howkins, 2015, clay, paint and doll's body

I then went on to create further clay pieces, focusing on creating new heads for the Barbie dolls.  I experimented with comical, oversized heads and felt that this idea had a great deal of potential as using clay meant I could create any shape and then paint it in any pattern.  I experimented with cartoon-like heads and then went on to create sharper, more abstract, coloured forms which strongly juxtaposed the doll's smooth body.

Spray Painted Barbies

Black Barbies, Chaz Howkins, 2015, spray painted Barbie dolls

I spray painted three dolls completely matt black as I wanted to erase their facial features to make them appear sinister as the viewer is left lost and longing for explanation.  I found that darkening the dolls highlighted their disproportionate body shapes as, when displayed against a white background, their waistline is extremely exaggerated, drawing attention to how frail and unhealthy these body images are.