Art assignment Oxiea Villamonte
Commissioned by the Luther Museum, photographer Oxiea Villamonte (1995) translates the themes of the exhibition about Katharina von Bora into a contemporary form. In the museum's regent rooms, she presents a series of nine photographs that explore the role and position of women in our present time. The photos address self-image and the many roles that women in our day try to unite within themselves and express outwardly.
Villamonte wrote the accompanying texts for this exhibition herself.
MOTHER. WIFE. WORKER. MUSE.
For this new series of photographs, I created nine images inspired by Katharina von Bora. What really inspired and invigorated me about her story is how she was perceived and portrayed differently throughout her life by other people for their own interest. I wonder how she would have portrayed herself. Would she have preferred the title of the virgin, temptress, ideal mother, wife, businesswoman, feminist or intellect? Was she one of these things or all of them? Inspired by these different characters given to her, I made a series of nine self-portraits in which I chose topics that relate to Katharina as well as our current time and my own life.
Before working on this series, I was not aware of Katharina her story, which made me think of the many other women whose lives I have yet to learn about. Someone like my own mother,who raised me as a single parent and therefore could not focus on her professional career. I think about all the female artist who were excluded from the art history books.
