#tewa

Tattooed Woman follows in the tradition of Roxanne Swentzell’s figurative sculptures, perhaps most identifiable by their exaggerated extremities—with noticeably larger hands and feet—which she sees as expressive parts of the body. The woman’s posture is open while her eyes remain closed, suggesting the concentrated receiving and retention of knowledge. The tattoos along her body serve as visible markers of accumulated understanding and experiences. While Swentzell’s figures appear sturdy and solid, they are in fact hollow, opening the possibility for this piece to be considered a vessel, something that holds memory. "I think of this woman as existing in a spiritual reality signified by her tattoos in which her senses have been heightened. She is aware of more than what can be seen or felt. Her presence is a source of this "other" sense that we don’t always allow ourselves to acknowledge. May she help to remember" -- Roxanne Swentzell