The Art Office are currently presenting “Big Girl Pants” a duo exhibition by Corinna Spencer and Mia Wilkinson. The purpose is to confront and subvert conventional representations of the female form through the exaggerated portrayal of women’s bodies and expressions. It runs from the 13th to 27th March.
CAT CALLING
As a cat lover this called me whilst I was at the exhibit. I asked Mia what is happening in the painting. She said it was a literal depiction of cat calling. The cat is Mia’s. She said she left it to the viewers’s thoughts as to what it means. To me it illustrates women longing for sexual affection from a cat. This is from how their work distorts and amplifies the curves. An example of this is shown from how the two women in the middle of the painting are both next to each other with bent backs resembles a bottom through the naked skin. The proportion in the painting of the cat having such a large head and violent facial expression highlights to the viewer that it is hungry for sexual activity. The red features on the womens’s body parts and the cat’s nails indicate that they want to attract sexual activity. The street background symbolises somewhere that everyone walks past based on everyday life. Altogether all of the features combined well metaphorically in the painting to resemble any person like the cat approaching women; both being hungry for sex.
EVERYTHING UNDER
For me this painting stood out strongly. Showing different parts of the female body combined as a whole resting on top of cloth over a rock like surface. The painting’s background was also distinctive because it uniquely combined a tall green hill with a dark orange background. In this painting Corinna is pushing at the limits of recognisable figurative form through having the female body rest in solitude. I found it amazing how the female body looks really relaxed in that nature like setting.
REBECCA HARDAKER
We were also lucky enough to be joined at the exhibition by Rebecca Hardaker. Her work has also been previously presented at the Art Office. Her exhibition was titled ‘It’s not what you see, it’s what you see in it.’ She is a contemporary artist based in north London.
EXHIBITION INFO
Corinna Spencer & Mia Wilkinson ‘Big Girl Pants’ 13 – 27 March 2025
Opening night: 13 March, 6:30 – 8:30pm
The Art Office, 48 Chalcot Road NW1 8LS
Opening Hours: Thursday – Sunday 10am – 4pm or by appointment.
CONTACT INFO
Email: info@theartoffice.co
Telephone: 07742783015
Website: theartoffice.co
Instagram: @theartoffice.co
© Adam Reeves 2025, all rights reserved.
