The Gaze, 2024

The history of Western visual art is phallocentric. The female; defined by her nudity; presents herself to the empowered male gaze who intern, asserts his authority over the figure through the act of viewing. The female gaze is not phallocentric. What is the opposite term? Gynocentric? Yonicentric? Most likely for a lack of need, there is no real definition considered the synonym of phallicism. This is ideal. Rather than create a new word, let’s just dispense with the former. Raise boys and girls the same. Treat all people as equals. Do away with the concept of male / female typical behaviour. After all, male and female are conceptual categories, rather than static binaries. Their definitions and characteristics are mediated by culture and social attitudes. I support that we shed this out-dated and oppressive belief system.

Nic Fern is an artist living and working on Gayemagal Country (Manly, NSW). She teaches drawing and painting at the National Art School, where she graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Fine Art and in 2022 with a Master of Fine Art. Over the last two years, Nic’s work has been a finalist in several awards including the Wynne Prize, the Sir John Sulman Prize, the Dobell Drawing Prize #23, twice in the Waverley Art Prize, the Fisher’s Ghost Award, where her work was awarded highly commended, and the Archibald Prize in 2000. Upon completion of her master’s degree, Nic was also awarded a three-month residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, which she undertook in 2023.

Nic’s multi-disciplinary studio practice explores contemporary Australian notions of gender, class and hierarchy. Using iconic imagery borrowed from the Western visual art Canon, she paints, draws, stitches and hand builds clay to create multi layered, unframed wall works and free form, illustrated, glazed vessels.