We are these wonderful beings; Pleasure Pods. We seek pleasure, success, acceptance, love and beauty. We struggle through a myriad of challenges which shape our psyche and manifest into perceptions we have of ourselves, others and our place in the world.
These seductive, tactile works both invite us in with materials one feels compelled to touch yet somehow maintain a sense of privacy and sometimes a need to slightly recoil as the investigation becomes perhaps a bit too intimate at times. And therein lies the fun. The Plight of The Pleasure Pods series investigates and reflects with humor and depth.
Identity, self-worth, pride, societal norms, memories, desire, connection, fear, ageing and loss find their way into paradoxical relationships in the expression of ego by way of evocative materials such as plaster, foam, rawhide, tree roots, limbs, faux fur, sheep fur, photography, mulberry bark, bed springs, rubber, vinyl, acrylic and more. Sometimes squishy and childlike, other times rugged, historical and worn, these materials create a balancing act of seriousness and play, structure and tension, safety and fear.
”The Diva And Her Deflated Ego” incorporates a large deteriorating pod sagging over a once important pedestal while adorning a rusty tiara. The Diva is supported by a failing limb, her shadow reflects back to her with imagery of Narcissus by Caravaggio and Hieronymus Bosch’s Heaven and Hell yet she maintains a glimmer of youth and sensuality with voluptuous form and a glimpse of her pink fur. Other works in the series intrigue with titles such as “Mating Season”, “Keeper of the Flame” and “Love Muffin’s Unofficial Monument” to name a few.
This body of work chronicles our urges, perceptions, vulnerabilities and strengths exploring the impact of desire’s pursuits.
Writings on the work of Bonny Leibowitz's “Plight Of The Pleasure Pods” by Donna Cozort, Ph.D, Diplomate C.G.Jung Institute, Zurich
