ROBYN DESPOSITO
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Artist Statement
Anger Management is a series of paintings based on the uncontrollability of rage, and the cycle of provocation and reaction that perpetuates throughout the outward expression of anger in women.

My love of graphic novels inspired me to use a storyboard sequence so that the audience can see the subject as she travels through the stages of her “episode.” At times, I pull from this sequence the climax of rage and isolate those instances in one piece or a triptych.

I use photography to help capture the spontaneity of actions that the anger produces, but since this project is very much a personal exploration as well, I employ a technique called Xerography, a process of painting over Xeroxed photographs. To ensure the durability of the work I transfer the images onto the canvas by using a matte medium and then scrub the paper off before painting it over. This entire process of creation gives me an opportunity to manage my own anger, document it and move on.

My motivation stems from my frustration at societal standards for a woman's conduct. It seems to me that throughout history anger in women has been stifled and baulked at leading many women to internalize this pain.   These paintings act as a forum in which women are captured in the midst of expressing their emotional turmoil.

As this project has grown I have begun to incorporate images and text from 1950's/1960's self-help books, including Yes You Can: Timeless Advice from Self-Help Experts a compilation by Jennifer McKnight-Trontz. I believe that the truthful images of women expressing their anger and the advice from an era that was so willing to overlook frustrations will help mold Anger Management into a more three dimensional documentary of what women still face today.