From San Diego Weekend Arts Events, 10-28-21: Last week, I snuck a peek at the installation-in-progress of these twin exhibitions at Oceanside Museum of Art — full of dressforms draped with sculptural fiber works and quilted dresses. The works tackle gender, consent and more, and in doing so, powerfully explore beauty and expression. Marty-O, known for her upcycled and quilted fashions that comment on domesticity and repression by studying women's roles throughout the suffrage movement and through the 20th century. Saki's work is informed by the way the males in the bird kingdom are the ones who get dressed up, so in a series of installations she explores ultra glam style for men. Plus don't miss the Melissa Walter, Neil Kendricks and Charlotte Bird solo exhibitions also on view. —Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS From the gallery: Saki: 'Birds of a Different Feather' In the animal kingdom, male birds are the ones to get “dolled up” to impress and prove themselves worthy to a mate. However, in the human world these roles are reversed, with women being the ones to steal the “fashion” show. Today’s modern woman is more than just a pretty dress; she is an educated professional breaking glass ceilings and living her best life while focusing on her mental health, and so much more. This exhibition challenges the audience to look beyond traditional gender roles, encouraging the modern man to do more than just slip on a three-piece suit. Each creation reflects a different bird and how they relate to male roles in society from the Sugar Daddy to the Rockstar. MartyO: Social Security Examining the 20th century’s changes in women’s roles and cultural mores brought on by women’s suffrage in 1919, the Social Security Act in 1931, and the development of birth control in 1961, this exhibition presents artist MartyO’s art quilts, sculptural assemblages, wearable art, and a tableau of embellished household items as pointed commentary on the stereotypic, disempowering and oppressive roles forced onto women by our society over the last century. This exhibition also explores the creation of art as a means to healing from trauma, while allowing the audience to reflect on what social security means to them, and its price. Details: Opens Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021 and runs through Jan. 23, 2022. Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. Open Thursday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. $5-10. Related links: OMA visiting information OMA on Instagram
