Linda Stein’s “Fluidity of Gender” (2009–2010)

Abstract

Linda Stein’s recent sculptures are abstracted human figures tightly encased in black leather. Some hang on the wall, some are free standing; all are headless, armless, and have truncated legs. The scavenged leather “skin” is old jackets and bags that reveal their original uses in the embossing, zippers, and buckles that Stein uses for textural accents. This paper will survey the new work’s claim, as stated in the exhibition title, to represent the “Fluidity of Gender.” The tactile nature of the medium itself prompts certain questions about the role sensuality plays in gendered experience, and how sexuality and power are intertwined. The distressed surfaces of the sculptures suggest the paramount significance of experience as contributing materially to body image. In conclusion, this essay will explore the way representations of bodies whose gender is unfixed may influence the viewer’s body image.