Toby Leon
It's all just a little bit of history remixing
6 artworks by Toby Leon (Selection)
Download as PDFWitch Virgin Mother? • 6 artworks
In this series, the stereotypes women have been labelled with through history have now become their [...]
In this series, the stereotypes women have been labelled with through history have now become their greatest strength. Drawing inspiration from 1920s Gazette du Bon Ton fashion plates, I infuse archaic witch tropes into the enigmatic narratives of six Greek goddesses and nymphs: Thea, Cassandra, Echo, Rhea, Circe, and Aphrodite.
By intertwining reductive motifs with the first generation of "liberated" women from the Gazette du Bon Ton, I’m playing with the foundations of freedom and subjugation. The Gazette, available only to the wealthy, represented a form of liberation that was tantalisingly out of reach for most women. Yet, even the women who could afford the Gazette were vilified if they dared to express themselves too boldly. Hitting a glass ceiling of judgement, or even scorn, if they stepped outside the bounds of ladylike behaviour. An ironic cudgel seeing how boundless the strictures of ladylike behaviour have proven to be over the years. Endlessly adapted by men and women who fear independent spirits above all else.
The fashionable interplay between witchery, demonic possession, and female sexuality in this series is an invitation to reclaim all the sexist stereotypes… again, because they’re still hanging around — embedded in cultural artefacts and filigreed into social policing. Which is why the starting point for this series was transcendence. With each goddess and nymph transcending the boundaries of heroism and villainy, because deities can’t be hemmed in. While the implacable faces and artfully contorted bodies of the fashion plates continue to evoke the same tension between seeking agency and succumbing to the control of social norms. As well as the paradoxical nature of their newfound liberation as fashion plates. Tailored to perfection but still saddled with the expectation of conformity — albeit couture. And so their stories play into the cyclical nature of oppression women have endured beneath all those tired stereotypes of witch, virgin, mother, whore…
By intertwining reductive motifs with the first generation of "liberated" women from the Gazette du Bon Ton, I’m playing with the foundations of freedom and subjugation. The Gazette, available only to the wealthy, represented a form of liberation that was tantalisingly out of reach for most women. Yet, even the women who could afford the Gazette were vilified if they dared to express themselves too boldly. Hitting a glass ceiling of judgement, or even scorn, if they stepped outside the bounds of ladylike behaviour. An ironic cudgel seeing how boundless the strictures of ladylike behaviour have proven to be over the years. Endlessly adapted by men and women who fear independent spirits above all else.
The fashionable interplay between witchery, demonic possession, and female sexuality in this series is an invitation to reclaim all the sexist stereotypes… again, because they’re still hanging around — embedded in cultural artefacts and filigreed into social policing. Which is why the starting point for this series was transcendence. With each goddess and nymph transcending the boundaries of heroism and villainy, because deities can’t be hemmed in. While the implacable faces and artfully contorted bodies of the fashion plates continue to evoke the same tension between seeking agency and succumbing to the control of social norms. As well as the paradoxical nature of their newfound liberation as fashion plates. Tailored to perfection but still saddled with the expectation of conformity — albeit couture. And so their stories play into the cyclical nature of oppression women have endured beneath all those tired stereotypes of witch, virgin, mother, whore…
Recognition
Professional Artist
Exercises the profession of artist as a main activity
Exercises the profession of artist as a main activity
Biography
History Remixing
We imagine history into existence every day, shaping the world around us as we go. I remake histories with every piece. From a motley crew of tales tall and true. A melange of myths, signs and symbols. Every one ripe for my kitsch confections, which could all be legends one day.
Every piece I create is true. Sourced from truth and grounded by it. But never real. Reality's a fiction we're all subscribed to, which doesn't make it any less true. And that's the thing about the truth. Or the past. It moves in both directions. Myriad, in fact. Never sitting still or doing as it's told. Forever questioned, dissected, reframed and upended. Queered and inverted. Packaged and performed. Told, retold, adapted then sold. Evolving, like everything else. Which is why I like to think my art exists outside of time. Reaching for infinity. Not reality. A kaleidoscope of mish-mashed truths, which are only as surreal as we choose to make them...
Eternally Hungry
Born in Sydney, I spent my childhood surrounded by artists, oddballs and academics. They taught me to question everything. Respectfully and without fear.
Their coffee table books inspired my love of art and design. Vigorous debates over citywide dinner tables made me realise how complex the world is. Tales of lives spent abroad inspired my wanderlust. Their most important lesson? The value of being eternally hungry—that you should always leave enough room to taste something you've never experienced before.
Twenty-two countries and four continents later, I can find home anywhere with WiFi and a hearty chunk of intrigue. It's because of them, and I'm forever grateful.
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Nationality:
AUSTRALIA
- Date of birth : unknown date
- Artistic domains: Works by professional artists,
- Groups: Professional Artist Contemporary Australian Artists
Ongoing and Upcoming art events
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Influences
Education
2008 - 2008
B.A. English Lit (Hons)
Sydney,
NSW,
Australia
2005 - 2007
B.Comm, Writing and Cultural Studies
Sydney,
NSW,
Australia
Artist value certified
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Achievements
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Activity on ArtMajeur
Last modification date : Mar 27, 2024
(Member since 2022)
Image views: 21,797
Artworks by Toby Leon added to favorite collections: 6
Latest News
All the latest news from contemporary artist Toby Leon
Added Aug 25, 2022
Portraits from the British Library
Added Aug 25, 2022
Timewarped Again...
Added Aug 25, 2022
A little bit of history remixing...
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