Japanese folklore combines with modern messages in Kaitlyn Whitlock’s Neo-Nopperabou collection, now on display at Gallery 234 in the lower level of the Union until Friday. Kaitlyn’s artwork derives from stories of Japanese spirits but is intended to speak for the victims of assault.
“The inspiration for these works came from my longtime fascination with Japanese ghost stories, as well as my own personal interest in conveying women’s issues through art,” said Whitlock, a 2012 graduate from the Visual Arts program. “The imagery and story of the Nopperabou ghost is fascinating to me, and the possibility of working within that imagery to create a show that spoke to the silence of sexual assault victims occurred to me very early on.”
The Nopperabou, in Japanese lore, was a creature that typically took the form of a woman in distress. When a passerby tries to help the creature, the rescuer believes that the Nopperabou is human because the creature puts on a guise complete with facial features. However, the would-be rescuer gets a fright when the Nopperabou’s face becomes completely devoid of features leaving a smooth, blank sheet of skin where the face would be. The sight of this scares off the people who were initially trying to help.
“I was trying to convey a message of how victims of sexual assault are often ignored and silenced, by many people,” the artist explained, “There is a lot of victim blaming and shame that women (and men) who are victims of assault feel. Society, more often than not, blames them for what happened to them instead of the perpetrator. The obscuring of the faces and general blurry oddness of these images I hope helps convey that message.”
Ashley Dallum, Coordinator for Gallery 234, believes the exhibit will help raise awareness for victims of assault. She said, “[Whitlock’s artwork] sends a good message on how women are forced into silence by being victims of assault. People need to know about it and recognize that it happens.”
In her artist statement, Whitlock said she was aware of the disparities between the sexes from a young age and the unfair treatment women in her life received due to their sex. Throughout her life, monumental events occurred that shaped her work to have the specific focus on women and women’s issues. She strives to inspire discussion, awareness and interest in issues that are often ignored or downplayed by society.
Even down to the medium used to create these pieces, the process that created this art was thought through to the last detail. The artist switched to watercolor after not being pleased with the results from oil paints. The watercolors conveyed a more mysterious feel with the pieces and Whitlock also enjoyed the history of watercolor. It was once thought to be a “woman’s medium” and devalued because of that.
The University will be holding an official reception for Whitlock’s exhibit on Friday, March 8 according to Dallum. “The reception will last from 6 until 8,” she said, “Kaitlyn will be there and can talk to people and share her experiences with them. There will be coffee, tea, cookies and vegetables with really good hummus.”
Although Whitlock recently graduated, she does not plan to stop producing art or bringing up issues like sexual assault, harassment, violence against women, bodily autonomy and individual freedoms.
