Artist and Author Rebecca Wilson is shining a light on the pressures women, particularly middle aged, face through her exhibition at Lithgow's Gang Gang gallery.
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Ms Wilson, who resides in Hill End said she uses humour to convey important messages in a light way.
"Humour helps us connect with each other. And it helps us process the bigger the bigger problems, the bigger issues, the bigger themes in our living world," Ms Wilson said.
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"Through humor, we can diffuse things. In the latest exhibition woman, I really wanted to look at what a lot of quite heavy issues. But I don't want to feel weighed down by it."
One of the works Ms Wilson highlighted for her use of humour was a piece called 'Warning- Do not get old' that features a woman with botox needles in her face, which shows a dark undertone of the pressure women face to defy the aging process and look their best.
"The messaging there is not to make anyone feel bad about their choices [women who choose botox], but just to say these pressures on women are enormous, and we all want to look our best and be the best we can," Ms Wilson said.
"Everybody wants to feel their best and feel attractive. But then the way things are set up now, it's almost like our vulnerabilities are being exploited."
"The message is defy aging, this natural process of life. So, for me, I was trying to sort of poke fun at it. And and if I poke fun at it, I can take the power and the heaviness out of it."
Ms Wilson was inspired to create the works after she began reflecting on her life as a middle-aged woman, and a common theme she noticed after speaking to women her age and older was a sense of invisibility.
"My mum, she's 76. and she told me she could be standing in a line or queue at the post office or something, and I could be completely ignored," Ms Wilson said.
"I hear that a lot in different ways from different women."
According to Ms Wilson, she wanted to take a broad approach at core themes that women find throughout their lives.
"It was really cathartic. It felt really good to try and do something that was helping me understand society and where we're at and what made my place in it, but also, to bring women together as well," Ms Wilson said.
"And to do something that's uplifting for all of us and as a unified as a unifying, uplifting thing, rather than divided."
Ms Wilson said she wants women to be inspired to take a look at the things in society that create these pressures and choose a different direction.
"I just want to push back against a lot of those things and try and unite, uplift and reject the things that aren't helpful to us," Ms Wilson said.
Woman will feature at the Gang Gang Gallery until September 24.
Reidun Berntsen
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
