Ana Benaroya

Born in New York City. Lives and works in Jersey City, NJ.

I am very interested in power, who holds it, how it is used, how it informs every narrative, and how it can be taken back – by women in particular. From a queer perspective I explore this notion of power: I play with the human body, both male and female, often anatomically exaggerated and at its moment of most extreme action. I believe the body holds the core of human power and by playing with its form and its relationship to other bodies – I can bring attention to power imbalances that exist within our society. Using the language of comics, caricature, and pop culture, I explore and expand my understanding of the physical and emotional limits of my own body. Each body I depict is an extension of my own body – and each image allows me to feel more powerful and to physically grow. I am infuenced by images of bodybuilders, anatomy books, gig-posters, and artists such as Tom of Finland, Robert Colescott, the Chicago Imagists as well as children’s artwork. Music and song lyrics often play a role in the titles of my works. My inspiration for this imagery comes from feeling powerless and often intense, overwhelming anger at what I view to be atrocities committed against women every day – both large and small. I want to create a visual world where women fnd their power: mentally, physically, sexually. My work is motivated in large part to my own emotional experience. As seen in my portfolio, humor tempers the anger in my work. Humor is a good lubricant in communication (and in maintaining sanity). I believe in the subversive power of humor and how those who are disadvantaged can harness it to topple the powers that be. I take pleasure in making work that on first appearance might look funny and appealing to the eye – but upon closer examination reveals a darker more serious nature. My hope is for my work to be a reflection of the world around us: exaggerated, yet truthful in revealing the unsaid reality. — Ana Benaroya