The multi-media installation, Snake Woman, explores mythological formulations of snakes, and the conflation of serpent and woman as a problematic dichotomy between virtuosity and evil. The feminized serpent character in Snake Woman uses a contemporized style to reference well-known snake mythologies. Throughout four videos, she clumsily and awkwardly does her best to fulfill the heavily symbolic gestures of each myth. By associating women with fantastical creatures, we create an unrealistic expectation of how femininity should be conducted. Through the use of parody, camp, and humor, I aim to shed light on the dualistic pressure that is placed upon femininity to exist as either virtuous (good, majestic, pure) or evil (bad, indulgent, tainted) or even both, simultaneously.
Marina Shaltout is a multimedia artist who combines video, sculpture and installation processes. She is currently living in Tucson and working towards her MFA from the University of Arizona. Her work is primarily concerned with the portrayal of femininity throughout mythology, popular culture, and her own family narratives. Marina holds a BFA from the University of Illinois and has completed residencies in Las Cruces, New Mexico and Stodvarfjordur, Iceland. She has exhibited work across the United States as well as in Japan, Iceland, and Austria.