The Waiting Room

Joey Fauerso painted this work, which she considers a self-portrait, in acrylic using kitchen spatulas, screen- print and window washing squeegees, clay tools, and other unconventional devices in addition to the occasional paintbrush. Fauerso has been experimenting with acrylic since 2014, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and decided to abandon oil painting.

In stark contrast to the Western tradition of male artists presenting a reclining female nude lounging seductively on a couch, Fauerso situates herself in a doctor’s waiting room: “I’ve spent a lot of time in medical waiting rooms, which have really depressing stand-ins for art; supposedly inspirational things that are actually not inspirational at all. So I wanted to make a waiting room that would really speak to that sense of dreaming and visioning—things that I love and feel empowered by.” Fauerso depicts herself at a striking, larger-than-life scale, surrounded by images of artists she admires (Eva Hesse, Joan Brown), photographs from family camping trips and international travels, and images of American utopian communities. Despite her languid pose, Fauerso’s reclining nude remains an active dreamer and universe builder.