It is Amanda’s desire in and reading all around significant queer and race principle – specially the functions of Mel Chen and and Donna Haraway – that influenced her current, unnamed collection. Focussing on Mel Chen’s theories of ‘animacy’, which Chen draws absent from the realm of linguistics and rather indicates to be “just as relevant in queer and race relations, viewing as ‘dehumanising insults hinge of the salient invocation of the nonhuman animal’.” Emulating this by means of the sequence, Amanda depicts recurring crimson females and purple pet dogs, amongst whom she presents shifting romance dynamics in an try to deconstruct the owner/owned hierarchy. In some, the women and doggy are wrapped in a loving embrace, in other folks they growl at one one more, seemingly locked in a fight of wills.
In unison, it was Donna Haraway’s theorising in The Companionship Species Manifesto that helped to “guide” Amanda’s paintings. Describing that Haraway built a case for “reevaluating our romance with our worldly cohabitants” – namely that their life shouldn’t count upon their intimacy with individuals – Amanda also sought to investigate the notion that “it is about the implosion of mother nature and culture in the joint lives of dogs and people today, who are bonded in ‘significant otherness’, in all their historical complexity”. The breed of doggy depicted in the course of – American Bully – is also picked for its cultural importance, as a image of ‘American-ness’ and more broadly, American imperialism. But, conversely, the painter also would like to interact with how mistreated the breed can be “there is a whole market for supplements for bullies and various means to improve their muscle mass mass. I assume that this is intriguing and relates to so significantly of Donna Haraway’s writings on dogs”.
Considerably like the relaxation of her function, Amanda’s colour selections are also thoroughly considered. Deeming her trademark red to have to “more emotional associations that any other colour”, such as enthusiasm, need, lust, anger and enjoy, the artist also cites its historic connotations, these as revolt, war, spiritual devotion, “and of training course, communism (think Purple Scare)”. “I’m not automatically desirable to all of these right every single time I use the colour red”, the artist elaborates, “but I assume that I (amongst several other folks) am attracted to pink for people reasons”. And, on a more complex level, Amanda clarifies that her cadmium crimson oil paint is the only colour she “splurges” on, the rest are “cheap as hell”. The second most developing colour in Amanda’s do the job is an intensive, neon green. Chosen for its ability to “vibrate” versus Amanda’s beloved crimson, this eco-friendly provides the best contrast, and heightens the unsettling, supernatural essence of the artist’s excellent operate.