|Contained|

This contemporary art series by Melbourne artist Leah Mariani explores women and the space they inhabit.

Women are often confined to societal expectations, and such boundaries are represented here by the framed border of the canvas. The series consists of women who are either standing or sitting, crouched or squatting. Their whole figure is captured within the borders of the canvas as a metaphor for society trying to control, restrain and measure women. Within these confines, each woman asserts her quiet power. Each woman makes the space her own and displays reliance.

The striped lines accentuate the movement of the figure within the constrained space, and give the artwork a graphic quality that contrasts with the painted realism of the skin tones. Read more...

View available paintings

The meaning behind each series

  • |Contained|

    Each figure is composed so that her entire body exists within the borders of the canvas. This is a visual metaphor for the ways society attempts to control, restrain, and measure women, placing them into boxes defined by patriarchal traditions and expectations.

    Read more 

  • Mythical Women

    Inspired by the women in Greek Mythology, this art series explores gender roles within the stories we tell. In this art series, I reframe women as being in control of their own destinies. These new narratives define the feminine as powerful and worthy.

    Read more 

  • Happily Ever After

    In this art series, fairy tales and nursery rhymes are reinterpretations to give traditional female characters more agency. I use the deconstructed tropes of the original stories to retell these well-known tales through a feminist lens.

    Read more