SHONA MCANDREW: WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Does anything important happen on a Wednesday night in your home? What did you, or your girlfriend, daughter, spouse, or any female in your life do last Wednesday night? They more than likely spent time watching their favorite tv show uninterrupted by social obligations, plucked their eyebrows, shaved their legs, or laid around with their cat or dog. Wednesday Night is an installation by Philadelphia-based artist Shona McAndrew. Utilizing sculptures and paintings, Wednesday Night presents a representation of women not often experienced in visual art or popular media; moments of private, personal banality not intended to be viewed by strangers.

McAndrew’s multi-disciplined artistic practice draws on her personal experiences as a plus-size woman and her own struggles with society’s expectations of womanhood. The slightly-larger-than-life figures are modeled after the artist herself or her friends and are presented partially or fully nude – unembarrassed by their exposed bodies and carefree from the viewer’s gaze (even the female gaze). They challenge or even dare the viewer to acknowledge and accept the intrinsic beauty of every woman’s body.

Shona McAndrew holds an MFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BA in Psychology and Painting from Brandeis University. Her solo exhibitions include shows at the Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA (2020); CHART, New York, NY (2019); and Spring/Break Art Show, New York, NY (2019). She has also exhibited in group shows at Stems Gallery, Brussels, BE; Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami, FL; Allouche Benias Gallery, Athens, GR; and Museum of Sex, New York, NY.