“What’s in My Bag?” is a play on the traditional Russian matryoshka stacking dolls, which are ornamental toys used to represent femininity and motherhood. I used the stacking component of matryoshka, along with objects of my own, as well as objects from my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother stacked inside of each other. Something I have always liked about my collection of matryoshka dolls (passed down to me from my mother and grandmother) was the element of secrecy and surprise - I would have to open up all of the dolls to see the tiniest one. Similar to digging through a purse, sometimes I find myself opening up containers within containers to find what I really need. This piece is composed of the traditional average number of “layers”, seven, and is intended to be opened and have objects revealed one at a time.
These objects include my favorite vintage bag, an 150th Anniversary edition of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women”, Ritz peanut butter crackers, my favorite box of matchsticks from Individual Medley, Glossier Cloud Paint in beam, my favorite Chanel lipstick, and a fortune cookie fortune I keep framed in my room.
This piece is composed of acrylic paint and gloss varnish on papier-mâché formed figures, with a polystyrene accent.
