Senior Spotlight: Kiara Leary

Jan 16

Meet Kiara Leary a recent graduate with a BFA in Studio Art.

She is from Granite Falls, NC and has background in a Southern Baptist upbringing. Her early childhood is defined by rebellion, observation, and rage against injustices in society most commonly against women. As the people around her pushed her to conformity she became more informed and powerful in her own morals. This theme carries into her work today with messages of confrontation, satire, and empowerment.

In her piece Duality of Women: Infantile or Volatile. Kiara expresses her rejection of the roles patriarchal society pushes on women. The infantile aspect is seen when women are viewed as damsels in distress or incapable of advocating for themselves in a way society deemed fit. This then turns the view of women into volatile. The woman is then seen as emotional at best and a raging threat against society at worst. She expresses these perceptions of volatility with red paint representing menstruation, violence, and anger. She uses childlike pigtail braids at the top to represent the infantile aspect of women. To fully represent the duality Kiara utilizes imagery of the mons pubis (an area of fatty tissue that serves as a means of protection) the mons pubis today is constantly criticized for being unattractive to the opposite sex, but it is necessary in reproduction and pregnancy which keeps our species alive. This shows the contradictions society enforces on women causing them to feel unable to be right no matter what they do.

Many of Kiara’s pieces combat societal issues such as gender roles, gun violence, beauty, and femininity. As she ventures out into the art community, she will continue to address unseen injustices and express her anger in creative outlets. She has an established studio space in her hometown continuing her journey as a professional artist.

Thank you Kiara for a look into your studio, inspirations, and influence.