wallpaper background . I want to ask where you source the wallpaper from ? And then there ’ s the other layer in the making of the work where you photograph the gun against this background . Can you talk about that making , that artistic process ?
DW : I always think of my work as being veiled ; you pull away the veils as you move through the pieces . For the wallpapers , I ’ ve always been fascinated by domestic settings . You have a house , each house has a different tone depending on the decor , specifically if you take everything out of a room and you are left with wallpaper that in itself creates a sense of space . When you have sense of space , how can that set the tone for what you ’ re trying to do with the wallpaper .
For example , the wallpaper for the gold gun came from an online reference source where I was looking at its aesthetics . I wanted to think what would make [ the gold gun ] pop . Also , how could I contrast this “ granny ” setting with this gangster woman ’ s gun . I love juxtapositions . I love that tension . I have a huge collection of wallpaper images taken from online because at that point I was doing tons of appropriation . All of the guns in the square pieces are real guns that were shown on websites where women were proudly showcasing how they decorated their guns , or how a company decorated them .
GA : Women and girls are being marketed these guns more and more , at the same time , women are dying by gun violence more and more . . . how do we make sense of this contradiction ?
DW : At the time , I was finishing up this project , The Washington Post ran an article that the hot selling item to get the woman in your life was a Hello Kitty assault weapon , some kind of Hello Kitty-themed gun . That really made me think about why men are giving women tools that are meant to kill , but decorated as they if they were for a child .
GA : Do you find that this sexualization of gun culture for women is primarily sourced from a male gaze or do you find that women are just as culpable in the sexualization of gun culture ?
DW : Both , although I wonder where it originates from . I think women have been vying for power , and I understand how weaponry is one way to meet that .
GA : You made this work with a particular intention : to call attention to our advertising culture and how we market and feminize guns for women and girls . Then a visitor to the exhibition reads the project as a wonderful way to portray gun culture , believes that guns are glamorous and wants your work to be the background of a fashion show to sell more gun products . How do you respectfully respond to that as an artist ?
DW : While I don ’ t agree with the woman who wanted to have that conversation with me , I love the opportunity to talk . I think there ’ s nothing better than talking to someone about your different values . That is how I believe in change . Even if it comes down to those ‘ throw down ’ conversations . I have to remember that someone might have come to that reading because they grew up in a place where they were so unsafe that the only way they could sleep at night is if they had a gun , or their parents had a gun . I get that . I can imagine myself being in that role because I ’ ve spent time in various communities . My goal is always to remain human to people and not look at them as “ other .” That ’ s why I try not to be too aggressively opposed with the project because if I was , I wouldn ’ t be able to have these conversations .
GA : The increasing visibility of violence against women have also galvanized the women ’ s resistance movements , for example , organizations like Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense . They ’ ve partnered with the Women ’ s March movement to ensure that gun violence against women is a priority . I wonder if you have any thoughts on the particular role for women artists to take on this issue ?
DW : I think the nature of being women holds us responsible . I ’ m not a mother , but when it comes to this idea of wanting to protect , I think women have a ferociousness when it comes to maternal instinct , and this can be one of those opportunities where you somehow tap into that . I think of women and violence , I think of a household with children . My mind automatically goes to children . And children were in a lot of what I was reading : for example , the toddler that picks up the gun out of the handbag and shoots his mother at Walmart .
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