Chromatic by Linda Behar showing at Product 81 in Miami

Fordistas & StArt present - Chromatic by Linda Bahar

Explorations of modern standards of beauty, society and the individual’s sense of self.

Linda Behar is a Venezuelan artist who’s lived, worked and studied in the United States for nearly twenty years. Originally trained as a civil engineer, her interest in art led her to attend the Academia Taller Art y Fuego in Caracas where she studied glass casting and pate de verre. She continued studying new materials and methods at Florida Atlantic University where she received a Masters of Fine Arts with an emphasis on printmaking. Her current work integrates new technologies and traditional printmaking techniques, specifically woodblock printing. Behar has exhibited internationally, received numerous awards and has been a dedicated teacher in Venezuela as well as at the University of Miami, and Florida Atlantic University. ​

Behar’s work focuses on the modern standards of beauty placed on the female body and seeks to bring forward the contradictions between expectations and the individual’s sense of self. In Maccabees, she aims to create images that echo the past while embracing the future and empower women to fight for their rights in society. She used the concept of paper dolls as medium of culture and social expectation to question the representation of women’s bodies and gender identities throughout history.​

In her collaborative work entitled Chromatic, Behar invites over 300 women from a variety of backgrounds and cultures to participate in a project inspired by the complex geometric patterns of modern coloring books to explore gender identity throughout history and body language as it relates to gender norms. The black and white prints use traditional art nouveau iconography to represent confident nude women in through-provoking poses.

Library staff collaborated with this artist and we all contributed by coloring one of her prints. It is really exciting to see her work grow and this project take on a life of its own. Linda is a great artist. She was kind enough to present a printmaking demo to our students and we enjoy following her projects and exhibitions.

If you are in the MIami area stop by the show