Masks and Alterations, an exploration of female identity by photographer Christine Burgoyne, is now on display at the Commencement Art Gallery. A powerful, exacting exhibition of black-and-white prints, Burgoyne’s work immediately elicits emotions of intrigue, captivation and overall questioning of the female form.

“Alterations are what we choose to do to our bodies some by choice…some not,” said Burgoyne. “Alterations then become the mask that we wear… for protection or possibly a vehicle of transformation or for healing.”

Burgoyne’s choice of size, in regards to the display of her work, is of utter importance. Her life-size and larger prints grab the viewer’s eye from across the gallery – demanding attention and recognition. In “I am silence” (perfectly placed for single viewing), her model is covered in a cracking mud mask – leaving only her dark eyes to penetrate. It is a face only covered in earth, but this mask, like many, hides something unknown through its layers.

“Masks {are} often transparent tot he viewer but very real to the wearer,” said Burgoyne.

With “Six 16”, Burgoyne incorporates the use of sewing patterns paper to further illustrate her message of masks as concealers of the body – which are not necessarily worn by the women’s request. Confronting the issue of suffocation of female size in our culture, Burgoyne uses the paper to wrap and cover her model like a clear plastic body bag. Tight and constricting, the woman is confined – the focal point directed on the face with eyes closed. The detail is near overwhelming, highlighting the individual eyelashes and eyebrow hairs.

Burgoyne’s work is one of the most striking and contemporary-minded black-and-white exhibitions Commencement has shown in recent memory. Her continuity and message are precise and uncompromising with a technical prowess that recognizes and utilizes the power of art construction and display.

From the news/zine Tablet: September 2003

MASKS AND ALTERATIONS

At the Cultural Development Authority (formerly King County Arts Commission in Smith Tower) is a fine show by Christine Burgoyne. Burgoyne has produced a series of black and white photos depicting female nudes and their relationship to fashion. Many of the photos have body imagery with sewing pattern overlays used as masks and fitted garments. The fold, sew, and cut lines become more than just instructions for creating garments; they become the dotted lines used by doctors to pull the face, tuck the tummy and pout the lips. The reference is simultaneously subtle and obvious. In "Shape-vac," she speaks to the many ways we work for perfection, but in a DIY {do it your way}. Getting to Size Six lays out another aspect of our cultural obsession with thinness by wrapping the body with a pattern indicating the different cuts to achieve size 10, 8, or 6.

Burgoyne's work doesn't so much take society to task for our artificial pursuit of beauty as highlight it to start a dialog. The ability to take an honest look at ourselves will be more important in the long run than trying to point the finger at who's to blame for our poor self image. -Chris Cole

The show runs through September 26, 2003 at the Cultural Development Authority, second floor, Smith Tower.