Cover Art Contest Winners
HANGAMA AMIRI & JILLIAN TAMAKI
Our 2016 cover art contest was judged by Hangama Amiri and Jillian Tamaki. Here’s what they had to say about the winning entries:
HA: Looking at Amanda Rhodenizer’s Attachment reminds me of how my mother used to help me get ready for school in Afghanistan, brushing my hair, helping to put on my school uniform and sneakers—those twenty minutes with her in the early mornings were the best memories of my childhood. I’m also interested in the artist’s use of loose brush strokes, which creates a subconscious moment between the mother and daughter relationship. It’s very fresh, textural, and expressive. JK: Of course, I have to think like an illustrator when choosing a magazine cover. What will attract and intrigue the viewer? It should feel like it “fits” the cover and be a little iconic, in my opinion. I think the image also is a bit intriguing on the second read—the relationship between the child and adult feels intimate and familiar but is also a little bit ambiguous if you look a little closer.
HA: For me, Two for Tea expresses ideas of feminism in the context of body politics, women’s self value, self-reflection, and their everyday image in the society. What intrigues me about this three-dimensional artwork is the artist’s use of everyday material: the tea cups, spoons, and plates that are attached to the dress. It reflects ideas of how women are still being identified in the family and in the society, as mothers, sisters, and wives. Especially the concept of domestic; women serving in the kitchen brings us back into the second-wave feminist movement, but for me it seems still relevant in todays’ portrayal of women in media. JK: Exploring ideas of domesticity and homemaking are well-trod in feminist art but I still think they have a place. I think the craftsmanship in this looks exquisite and is probably more so in person. The placement of the dishware evokes internal organs to me, perhaps.
Congratulations to our winners, and thanks to all who entered. Attachment is on the cover, Two for Tea opposite, and our honourable mention, Metamorphosis by Slavka Kolesar, can be viewed on our website at roommagazine.com.