Bruised Bra

Portia Munson's paintings of singular, isolated objects originated from and engage an "obsessive looking" in her words. Munson's process entails "isolating a specific object and allowing its individual meaning to resonate" as it leaves a trace in the world. A cotton bra might lose its sexual implication and become pieces of sewn fabric scrunched up by use. This can also have the opposite effect, leading some critics to find that Munson reveals "something unpleasant lurking beneath a pretty surface." Through her investigation of the object realized in painting, "things that are cute become ominous the banal is sexualized, the appealing made repellent."