Vancouver-based Deborah Bakos is our featured artist for May. ‘text me when you get home’ is a compilation of mixed media pieces from two bodies of work, related in theme and intent.

@SHE.THREAD.PROJECT As an advocate for equality, I record words shared by women about our current climate of injustice. This text based embroidery project is a work in progress open for participation. It is my way of showing allyship with all who identify as women. Woven into the She Thread Project is an understanding that our voices must be heard and heeded above the centuries’ old din of control by men. The installation is part of a curated collection of more than 200 responses ranging from clap-backs to poems, protest signage to songs and from Instagram posts, private conversations and anonymous contributors. Several of these pieces are my own responses to current media, researched statistics or books and articles by feminist authors. Most of the individual patches are made from donated or upcycled fabric, some are swatches from previous sewing projects. All are handstitched words spoken, written or sung by our contemporaries.

@EMBELLISH_HER My photography based paintings are altered narratives that poke fun at outdated notions of gender. To challenge binary definitions of femininity and masculinity, I create scenarios with women as active protagonists claiming center stage. These painted and embellished pieces are playful interrogations of myths and stereotypes that underlie our contemporary biases. I choose textiles, embroidery and delicate, colourful notions to offer a soft and lighthearted place to land in difficult discussions about equality. Sourced from vintage ads, family albums and from other photographers with permission, this work is both biographical and imagined. It is my attempt to keep us listening to one another in dialogue about equity.

Deborah Bakos is an abstract and mixed media painter from Vancouver. She holds a Certificate of Fine Arts/Painting from Emily Carr University and a Bachelor of Education in English/Fine Arts/Media Literacy from Simon Fraser University. Deborah is a former Humanities Educator in English Literature and Social/Media Studies with 14 years of experience in the classroom. She has published curriculum for University of Victoria Center for Addictions Research and has written about art for the Federation of Canadian Artists Art Avenue Magazine and The Vancouver Sun Arts and Life Column

http://www.deborahbakos.com