Weight

The weight of the world is on her shoulders.

This is a visual interpretation of Atlas, who in Greek mythology was burdened with the weight of the heavens but was historically shown as an iconic strong-man carrying the earth on his shoulders.

Women carry children in the womb and continue to carry these children and their grandchildren with them throughout life. Many women carry the entire burden of providing for their family alone. Whether or not they have help, they carry everyone’s happiness or unhappiness on their back constantly. They carry the burden of child-rearing along with that of maintaining an unnatural standard of beauty—and physical weight. Then, to fully be herself, a woman must also carry a career or hobby to an extent that defines her apart from “just” being a mother, lover and nurturer of the world. As a woman, she is expected to stand tall and smile on the outside despite feeling the heaviness of being the world’s caretaker.

Mother Nature carries the compounded weight of every woman, man, and living thing on earth with a divine grace—and though she runs free in our imagination, there is always a reality that the burden is taking its toll.

A short statement of the proposed artwork's relationship to the theme of "Venus Rising, A Celebration of Women (150-500 words).