Nancy Kay Turner, Venus at Her Mirror After Velazquez

Emily Wiseman, All the Goods (Gift Wrap)

Ever wondered if others see you the same way you see yourself? Find out at Perceive Me Redux: Nude Portrait Sessions

LOS ANGELES, CA, USA, April 3, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — For “Perceive Me Redux”, plus-size artist Kristine Schomaker challenges us to examine our perception and acceptance of our selves with Nude Portrait Sessions at The Other Art Fair, Barker Hanger, 3021 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, CA. April 4-7, 2024.

Schomaker has gathered 34 professional artists to draw the likeness of interested fair-goers in a series of private 25 minute nude portrait sessions. They will be working in 3 hour increments over the 3 days of the fair. Any aspiring “model” over 18 years of age can sign up for a session at the “Perceive Me” booth, choose their desired pose/s and have the option to purchase their finished sketches and/or paintings for $25 ea. Any unpurchased sketches will be exhibited and sold at the Fair, with artists receiving 100% of the proceeds.

The portrait sessions are free, available on a first-come first-served basis, and will take place in a private studio setting with a changing room onsite at the Fair. Only artists and the model have access to the drawing space; no cameras are allowed.

In conjunction with the Nude Portrait Drawing, Schomaker is presenting a special showing of a selection of works from previous “Perceive Me” exhibitions. Through multiple iterations of “Perceive Me”, plus-size artist Kristine Schomaker challenged us to examine our acceptance of differences- especially related to size. She posed for 60 artists to do nude portraits of her larger-than-average form; the results were a celebration of and for anyone who has ever felt less than beautiful. Rather than shaming Schomaker for her size, the artists celebrated it with paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, gift wrap, video and a 3D print.

With these exhibitions, Schomaker touched on pervasive cultural standards of the “right” female body- an idea that challenges many and has become a ubiquitous issue with the widespread use of digital filters, photo editing and social media dissemination. She hated having her photo taken because she didn’t mirror what she saw in TV, movies and other media. She developed an eating disorder, but never lost sight of the need to express herself in her art.

Schomaker’s premise has been described as brave, but honest may be a better descriptor for her project. It’s about how we view ourselves- to ourselves; and how that meets, merges or collides with how others see us. It provides a framework to the artists and viewers alike to help us “see” more about ourselves. Kristine will continue and evolve “Perceive Me” into the future; it addresses an important topic that resonates with viewers. She is already working on new collaborations and presentations, arranging nude drawing sessions, and organizing exhibitions. As long as body image remains an issue in our society, she will continue this important project.

“Perceive Me” premiered in January of 2020 at California State University, Los Angeles; after over a year of pandemic restrictions, the show moved Studio Channel Islands for a seven-week exhibition in the summer of 2021. The first museum exhibition of “Perceive Me” took place at MOAH: CEDAR in Lancaster, CA in the fall of 2021. Coastline College Gallery, Newport Beach, CA was the 4th iteration. The most recent full presentation took place at Mesa Community College Art Gallery, San Diego, CA in early 2023.

Artists who collaborated in the project include Amanda Mears, Anna Kostanian, Anna Stump, Ashley Bravin, Austin Young, Baha Danesh, Betzi Stein, Bibi Davidson, Bradford J Salamon, Caron G Rand, Carson Grubaugh, Catherine Ruane, Chris Blevins-Morrison, Christina Ramos, Cynda Valle, Daena Title, Daggi Wallace, Dani Dodge, Debbie Korbel, Debby and Larry Kline, Debe Arlook, Diane Cockerill, Donna Bates, Elizabeth Tobias, Ellen Friedlander, Emily Wiseman, Geneva Costa, Holly Boruck, J Michael Walker, Jane Szabo, Janet Milhomme, Jeffrey Sklan, Jesse Standlea, John Waiblinger, Jorin Bossen, K Ryan Henisey, Karen Hochman Brown, Kate Hoffman, Kate Kelton, Kate Savage, Katherine Rohrbacher, Kerri Sabine-Wolf, Kim Kimbro, L Aviva Diamond, Leslie Lanxinger, Mara Zaslove, Marjorie Salvaterra, Martin Cox, Monica Sandoval, Nancy Kay Turner, Nurit Avesar, Phung Huynh, Rakeem Cunningham, Serena Potter, Sheli Silverio, Susan Amorde, Susan T. Kurland, Sydney Walters, Tanya Ragir, Tony Pinto, Vicki Walsh

About Kristine Schomaker:

Kristine Schomaker is a Los Angeles based multidisciplinary artist, art historian and curator. She received her BA in Art History and an MA in Studio Art from California State University Northridge. Schomaker has been exhibiting her work since the late 1990s. She has had solo exhibitions throughout Los Angeles including “Plus” at Ark Gallery in Altadena, “Mirror, Mirror!” at Gallery H Phantom Galleries LA, Hawthorne, California, “And One Man in His Time Plays Many Parts” at the Los Angeles Art Association, “Plus” at Moorpark College Art Gallery, “A Comfortable Skin,” at Kerckhoff Hall Art Gallery UCLA, Los Angeles, California and “Ce n’est pas une Peinture,” at TRACTIONARTS, Los Angeles, California. Schomaker has also been featured in numerous group exhibitions. In addition to working as a practicing artist, Schomaker is an independent curator, the founder of Shoebox Arts and publisher of the online contemporary art magazine Art and Cake.

About The Other Art Fair

Presented by Saatchi Art, The Other Art Fair is a global gathering of creative thinkers, game changers, and pleasure seekers sharing emerging talent and unforgettable experiences. Set against the backdrop of the world’s biggest cities, each of their Fairs are different. The Fair combines boundary-pushing yet always-affordable artworks with immersive installations, performances, and a few curious encounters.

The result is an inspiring, evocative, inclusive, and fun event that reframes how art can be perceived and creates lasting connections between artists and art lovers. Art adventure awaits in LA this April 4 – 7.

Kristine Schomaker
Shoebox Arts
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Perceive Me / Kristine Schomaker & Friends / Mesa College Art Gallery, San Diego