Amelie Ashley

‘Her’steria (Hysteria) 2023
mixed media installation
Belmont High School, VCE Art Making and Exhibiting

Artist statement:

Inspired by the hidden history of traditional textile and hand stitching techniques, my work aims to encourage a respect for and appreciation of these artforms. By creating an installation that mimics the inside of a typical 1940s home—heavily inspired by the kitsch, nostalgic aesthetic associated with ‘a grandma’s house’ —I wanted to highlight how these artforms have been stereotypically associated with domestic settings.

The wall of works features a cuckoo clock embroidery inspired by ‘female hysteria’ which was once the diagnosis for menopause. It is also suggestive of a ticking biological clock and the way in which women’s fertility and health have been weaponised.

My cross stitch with the phrase ‘Men make houses, women make homes’ was heavily inspired by Alice Munro’s short story The Office in which a mother’s conflicted relationship to her home is examined: ‘She is the house; there is no separation possible’. The work references the most famous of all mothers, Mary the mother of Jesus, as a counterpoint to the many unrecognised women throughout history.