Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Maya Kaplan

The Host

The Host is in a state of mutation, questioning whether to hide away in herself or gaze back upon the voyeurs. The positionality of being in customer service roles as a perceived woman creates tension in power dynamics between voyeur and being. This work questions the expectancy of women to perform for capital gain. On a psycho-social level, the body becomes a site of performance, perhaps losing the ability to own an identity. She is seen, not as an equal subject but as an object: a table, a service tray, a doormat. Something to grab, to shout at, to creep upon. Yet, the universal reply others expect is, How may I help you?When morphing between the performed and authentic self, where in the gradient does your identity feel safe to rest? This is a tribute to all the incredibly strong, wise, and beautiful women in the hospitality industry.