Meet Trailblazer Felicia Deneane

Today we’d like to introduce you to Felicia Deneane.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up an only child in a single parent household. My mom played both the roles of parent seamlessly, wearing a tool belt just as often as an apron. She taught me by example how to be self-sufficient and self-driven, never forcing me into a predetermined role. The rest of my extended family were more traditional family units; two parents with at least two kids. I looked at my cousins as if they were siblings, but the differences in the way we were raised isolated me. I spent a lot of time with my cousins, but I don’t think they looked at me like the sister I thought I was to them.

This identity crisis followed me as I grew up. I developed early and no one knew what to do with my curvy, more mature body, least of all me. Dancing around social groups, I never felt completely invested in a group of friends or cliques. I didn’t subscribe to the traditional femme tropes of the day, so I wasn’t in the traditional “pretty girl” groups, but I wasn’t a tomboy either. One identifier that did stick was my status as a maker. The pottery wheel gave me a connection to the earth and some semblance of a connection to myself.

When I became sexually active, I realized the potential power of my body. I used sex as a means to achieve a sense of social acceptance that I felt was missing in my younger life. The sense of control I could yield with my body was both empowering and satisfying. It sparked a curiosity in me that fed my work tremendously. Sexually charged body parts, and the politics that are assigned to them, still inform my work today.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As I embraced my sexual identity, I ran into struggles. I found myself in situations where my level of consent either changed throughout a given experience or was ignored outright from the beginning. Telling an abuser that they are abusing you while they are abusing you is terrifying. What’s worse female identifying individuals are still socialized to be polite and nice or risk being a bitch. With any situation, I would urge such people to not be nice if it means giving up a part of yourself. Risk being the bitch. The person you are becoming should be the priority over everyone in your life; fight for her.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about your work – what should we know?
My work is a visual and physical record of and from my body: I exert the whole of myself to shove, wrap, pinch, tuck, stretch, and bleed until I have created explicit objects which confront the viewer. In order to present a candid reflection of life experiences, I have built my body of work around forms of human anatomy. The mix of vaginal and phallic shapes I reference speak directly to the commodification of body and the reclamation of sexual power. I place the viewer in a vulnerable state of voyeur, looking upon both the recognizable and the foreign. Through the sincere and utter corporeal nature of my work, I seek to create a dialogue about bodies. This dialogue asks the viewer to be mindful of a system in which we are all participants; a system which routinely objectifies consumes, and discards female identifying bodies through language, imagery, and actions.

Which women have inspired you in your life?
It would be difficult to pinpoint all of the female-identifying people who have inspired me up to this point. Friends and fellow artists are constantly astounding me with their amazing actions and achievements. I have had the pleasure to know many of these unique people, all of whom have influenced my story with their beautiful strengths and vulnerable weaknesses.

The two women who have had the biggest impact on the person I am today are the ones who raised me. I’ve spoken about my mother already, but the force that she deserves a second mention. As a nurse, she provided the financial means, while expressing the importance of intellect, compassion, and resilience. It was just the two of us for a long time, and that bond is unbreakable.

At around the age of eleven, my maternal grandmother had a bad heart attack. My mom purchased the house and we moved in with her. My grandma had also been a nurse in her professional career; I now had two caretakers, each of them is smart, fiery, and determined. Grandma also had a passion for objects; the antique collection was something that she passed down to my mom and quickly to me. She also provided a safe haven and room to rebel when I needed it most.

Together, they helped shape me in those strange formative years. Seeing how they commanded respect, offered advice, and freely gave love made me the person I am today. I will always love both of them for this period of growth in my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: feliciadeneane.comhttp://feliciadeneane.com
• Email: feliciadeneane@gmail.com
• Instagram: felicia_deneane

Image Credit:
art: Felicia Deneane, photos: Nicole Carriere

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