Meghan Eilleen Borah

Region: Midwest

Website: http://Www.meghanborah.com

City / State: Chicago, IL

With subject matter inspired by urban fashionistas I see on the street, personal beauty regimens, time spent walking alone in high heels, 1960s girl groups, and disco culture, my work is a continued exploration of the female figure in context. At its core is an ongoing interest in the relationship between theater and everyday life: the feeling of constantly being on stage. My work celebrates the power that comes with crafting variable feminine facades, yet acknowledges the inherent vulnerability of seeking unattainable states of permanence and perfection.

My current body of work juxtaposes traditional modes of painting with sculptural paintings to illustrate a dissonance between performer and spectator, specifically through the phenomenon of the musical diva. I focus on musical divas who achieved fame before the age of the Internet made celebrity status more widely attainable but far more ephemeral. The conflict between the dissolution of conviction in a diva’s performance and my desire to retain the icon’s divinity is a driving aspect of the work.