In Part 1, The Victorian Woman shaves off THE MAN’S beard. This ritual act allows her to grow a beard and in Part 2, she competes in the Dallas Beard Competition. With a not-so-sly nod to the Biblical story of Samson & Delilah.
This is the 4th and final installment of The Victorian Woman and THE MAN. In 2012, they engaged in a freestyle wrestling match. In 2014, they reunited for Ball & Chain. In 2016, The Victorian Woman attempted to liberate herself from THE MAN as she traveled to Southeast Asia. The resulting project includes an audio work, a book and handmade postcards.
Inspired by Dada, Theater of the Absurd, Situationist Theory and contemporary performance art, Copeland and AWG’s performance video work humorously questions cultural norms. One of Copeland’s alter egos—The Victorian Woman always performs in full costume engaging in what is typically thought of as “masculine culture or masculine activities”. She does not train for these performances. She will allow no more than a 15-minute tutorial prior to engagement and filming. The videos embrace spectacle and absurdity as a strategy to examine gender roles and as a playful way to deconstruct cultural and gender stereotypes.
Premiered at SPiN Gallery, Dallas, Texas (2018), Salina Bienniale, Salina Art Center, Salina, Kansas (2020)
Winner of Kevin Mullins Memorial Award, I Am Women Exhibition, Dragonfly Gallery, Chicago, Illinois (2020)
For more Victorian Woman works, click here.
