Artist Explores Conventional Notions of Beauty at Kohler Arts Center

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Photo credit: Kohler Co., courtesy of John Michael Kohler Arts Center

Arts/Industry resident Serra Victoria Bothwell Fels, 2019.

Several years ago, Brooklyn-based artist Serra Victoria Bothwell Fels began noticing ads popping up on her computer. Many were for beauty lotions and products, the kind that promise to reverse aging, abolish blemishes and hide wrinkles. The ads, it seemed, were telling Bothwell Fels what was “wrong” with her and what needed “fixing.” Intrigued, Fels began a journey of exploring beauty standards and asking why less (fat, wrinkles, pimples) is more desirable and who exactly decides that this should be so.

A portion of her journey can be seen in “Beauty Surplus: Serra Victoria Bothwell Fels,” on view through May 24, 2020 at Sheboygan’s John Michael Kohler Arts Center. It’s Bothwell Fels’ first solo museum show, and the exhibition is installed in the historic John Michael Kohler home.

Bothwell Fels used the home’s architecture—its smooth wood floors, its fireplaces and heating vents, its arched windows—as a stand-in for the human body. She altered the home’s contours in a variety of ways, just as fat, blemishes, or wrinkles can and do alter the human form. Some of the alterations are immediately visible. For others, visitors need to stroll the gallery and look closely at corners, nooks and crannies to full experience this exhibition.

A feminist interested in exploring and challenging patriarchal notions of beauty, Bothwell Fels also stocked the exhibition with reading material. Works by adrienne maree brown, Abbey Mei Otis, and Ursula K. Le Guin stock the exhibitions “Speculative Magical Feminist Library,” and add even more depth and to the artwork on display. A website dedicated to the display, offers further insight into Bothwell Fels, her artwork, and her processes.

Through May 24, 2020 at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, 608 New York Ave., Sheboygan. Click here for visiting hours and more information.