Pamela Stretton | |
---|---|
Born | 1980 |
Alma mater | Rhodes University University of Cape Town |
Awards | Sanlam Vuleka 2005 |
Website | www |
Pamela Stretton (born 1980) is a South African artist whose work deals predominantly with the female body. [1] Her main medium is digital inkjet prints that combine text and photographs. Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Stretton moved to the United Kingdom. [1] [2]
Stretton attended Kingswood College, Grahamstown and Queenstown Girls High School. [3]
She received a Bachelor of Fine Art (with distinction) from Rhodes University in 2002 and a Master of Fine Art (with distinction) from the University of Cape Town in 2005. [3] [1]
Stretton's work deals predominantly with the female form and its commodification, beautification, and role in popular culture. [1] [2] Most of her works are digital inkjet prints that combine photographic images and text; they are composites of barcodes, labels, and advertisements that create a larger image of the female form. The pieces are largely autobiographical, but also carry general themes about popular culture, fashion, health, and food. [3] [2] The painstaking and meticulous creation of each piece references obsessive eating disorders. [4] Similarly, the grid mechanism portrays the pressures of conformity. [5] Her style has been called a female version of Chuck Close. [6]
Stretton was a finalist for the Absa L'Atelier Art Competition in 2003, 2006 and 2007. [3] [1] In 2005, she won the Sanlam Vuleka Art Competition and was a finalist for the Brett Kebble Art Awards. [3] The Vuleka was established in 1963 and is Southern Africa's oldest continuous art competition. [7]
She was also a finalist for the inaugural Spier Contemporary Competition and Exhibition in 2007, which Smithsonian Libraries describes as juried. [8] [1] The Spier Contemporary was a national biennale competition and exhibit for visual artists and was the largest competition of its kind in South Africa. [9] [10] [8] [1]