CATHARSIS

Joana Bauman-Enriquez as Mercy

Catharsis is a project that encompasses music,  photography, and three looks in jewelry and chainmail. The main medium of this project is chainmail, a material typically associated with the male, and other jewelry techniques. Chainmail is a material that conveys how religion can facilitate violence and shame, but also hope and a sense of protection. These looks take design cues from medieval dress and armour, while defying the Medieval Catholic ideas of what a woman is supposed to wear. The garments integrate the silhouettes and design elements of medieval wear with the assertive sensibilities of a suit of armour. This dichotomy of strength and delicacy is imperative to the premise of the looks, the writing and photography, and the music.

    ABOUT THE DESIGNER

    A medium close-up of a woman with long, wavy dark hair and bangs, looking directly forward with a serious expression. She has light eyes and shiny red lipstick. She is wearing a black top with a deeply cut V-neckline adorned with a metallic chainmail pattern and red beads, along with a matching necklace featuring a small cross pendant. The background is a textured, rich red fabric.

    Joana Bauman-Enriquez as Mercy

    Mercy (Joana Bauman) is a feminist artist based in Toronto whose work focuses on bodily autonomy, sexual violence, and the facilitation of misogyny through patriarchy and religion.  Mercy embeds personal meanings into bold pieces that centre the refusal to fall into normative expectations as an artist and a woman. Her work is driven by a desire to express any and all emotion in a way that is cathartic for both creator and viewer. She defies the bounds of any one medium, blending jewelry, photography, music, sculpture, and painting into her body of work to create and expand the story.

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