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"MY WORKS PROVIDE A SAFE SPACE IN WHICH PLUS SIZE WOMEN ARE FREE TO EMBRACE THEMSELVES AND THEIR VULNERABILITIES. IT SHINES A POSITIVE LIGHT ON THE UNVEILING OF FAT BODIES BY APPROPRIATING POSTURES THAT ARE OFTEN USED TO HIGHLIGHT THE BEAUTY IN SLIMMER BODIES, WHILST PROVIDING A SEMBLANCE OF INCLUSIVITY AND MAKING ROOM FOR DIVERSITY IN A SOCIETY THAT OFTEN DENIES IT."
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Being Free is an exhibition of paintings and pastel drawings by multidisciplinary artist, Deborah Segun, whose work celebrates the diverse bodies of women through shape and color, portraiture and narrative, creating an important counter-point to society’s patriarchal notions of an “ideal woman”. Combining abstraction and figuration, Segun recomposes shapes to create voluptious figures in varied, graceful poses wihch celebrate the subject and imbue the viewer with a deep sense of admiration. In her paintings, her subjects maintain a steady and relaxed gaze which represents a shift in focus from typical male-centered standards of beauty. Segun’s work is a step towards claiming a new sense of freedom through art
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My initial painting process requires a lot of patience because I have to do two layers of painting. The first layer is to kind of lock in all the colors while the second layer is to create a more uniform coat. I love my lines to be precise and clean as I feel like it's a reflection of how clear I want the message to come across.
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"Segun’s titles tell half the story of her bold and colorful cubist influenced works, exploring fragility versus freedom, vulnerability versus self-acceptance, and self-love alongside bold defiance. Her female gaze, which she uses to create a safe artistic space for enfolding, is both inward and outward. She explores the meaning of being and acceptance through works which speak to the internal conversations many of us experience and which sound a familiar bell on how we perceive a 'body-perfect world'."
Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, Artistic Director
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MY PROCESS USUALLY REQUIRES ME TO DO A LOT OF RESEARCH. I LOOK INTO A LOT OF HISTORICAL AND MODERN REFERENCES, AS WELL AS PHOTOGRAPHIC REFERENCES. SOMETIMES, IT’S IMPULSIVE, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO DRAWINGS. USUALLY, MY PAINTING PROCESS IS A LOT MORE INTENSIVE, SO I MAKE A LOT OF SKETCHES. I LIKE TO GO INTO IN-DEPTH RESEARCH; LOOKING AT HOW PEOPLE INTERACT, LOOKING AT BODY MOVEMENT, AND THEN I TRANSFER MY IDEAS ONTO THE CANVAS.
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Through her employment of energetic color palettes and a fearless attitude towards style and expression the oeuvre of Segun represents an expansive force which gives life to the things around us. We feel the physique of her women before we can name any kind of anatomy, or cultural gaze.
Charlotte Langhorst, Art Historian
