Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013, November 17, 2000, Page 35, Image 35

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Columbia County’s Premier
Real Estate Resource.
Country living only 20 minutes
from downtown Portland.
John C. Scott a
REAL
t=J
ESTATE
www.cotymbiacountyhome.com
jenniferpugsley@johniscott.com
503-543*3751 (o) 503-313-8130 (c)
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Opposites attract
Two Portland artists explore
their own butch/femme dynamic
by
H eron
ow many really gtxxJ art shows have you
seen with lesbian themes? Well, here’s
one. And a really gcxxl one, at that. Two
artists have collaborated to present a close
look at the traditional hutch woman.
Meg Rowe displays soft sculpture using the
hutch’s everyday gear, while photographer
Linda Kliewer exhibits huge black-and-white
images of a woman in the essential male attire
a dedicated hutch loves.
A Very Tailored L ook: Undressing One
Fem m e’s Desire is on view through Nov. 25 at
the Pacific Northwest College of Art.
Rowe, an accomplished professional with a
master’s degree from the School of Art Institute
in Chicago, uses mostly found objects to make
sculptures. The 39-year-old has shown her work
nationally and in many Portland galleries,
including the Portland Art Museum. Most of
her work expresses her interest in marginalized
family structures including queer culture.
Rowe, who identifies as femme, always has
admired butch women. She respects “the
courage of the women who carry their full
hutch presence in the world.” She notes such
women are always “out” and must face the
homophobia some of us can choose to dodge
by simply passing.
Rowe artfully has arranged a plain black
dresser drawer with men’s underwear shaped
and arranged as if each pair of white briefs were
a rosebud. A second piece is a box of ties rolled
and sewn tightly, giving the whole a cellular
effect. These pieces are altars to the strength,
sexiness and courage of women who dare to he
who they really are.
Rowe’s work is beautifully complemented by
photographs taken by Kliewer, her partner of
15 years. The former Just Out staff photograph­
er has her own studio, Out and Out Produc­
tions, in Portland.
Kliewer identifies as a butch and says she
always knew she was a dyke. “I know exactly
where the lines were drawn,” she explains,
referring to lines of safety in the larger society.
Kliewer has spent her life exploring those
lines and admiring people with the courage to
cross over them by being honest about who
they are. “We choose which lines to cross on
which days,” she adds, knowing that the farther
out some are, the easier it is for the rest of us. “I
honor those farther out than I am."
This show is about the dress and attitude of
those women at the extreme edge of the line.
In her photos, Kliewer zeroes in on tight sec­
tions of a woman’s torso showing only the
essential curve, the optimal shadow of her sub­
ject. Each scene reveals the archetypal clue
that screams who this woman is inside.
For example, in one we see a woman’s waist
and hip from behind. We get a glimpse of a
Levi’s stud and a man’s white Banana Republic
shirt. Perfect. And, just inside the waist, we are
treated to a peek of the waistband of a pair of
men’s white briefs. Excellent.
We see just enough of her to know she is
standing with her weight on her right hip, giv­
ing her that studied yet careless look we all
have seen at a dyke bar. That look that says: I
am so cool and I look so great I don’t even care
if you notice me.
Another shot is a rear view. Same jeans.
Same shirt. This time, we see the woman’s hand
just casually dangling from the hip pocket. No
nail polish, of course. And clean, short nails (a
lesbian necessity). We are treated to a subtle fold
of denim coming ffom the woman’s crotch. Sexy.
Kliewer says she wanted to suggest the sexi­
ness of the woman but only in the most subtle
ways. Each photograph is larger than life, with
a strict, formal format. No frills and nothing
fancy. Just the way a traditional hutch would
want it, don’t you think?
But is this work for us or for them? Both.
It’s for us because, like everyone else, we
love the chance to see ourselves in erotic
expression. And it’s for them because, as
Rowe says, she wants the larger community to
"question their experience of seeing a woman
in male clothing.” I loved it as a rare chance
to see a reflection of ourselves proud and
beautiful. j m
j a
a
-
7
KELLER AUDITORIUM
3W 3rd & CLAY
A V ery T ailored L o o k : U ndressing O ne
F emme ’ s D esire is on display through Nov. 25 at
the M anuel Izquierdo Gallery inside the Pacific
Northwest College o f Art, 1241 N.W . Johnson St.
HERON is a Portland free-lance uniter and
artist who paints and m akes w ood furniture.
n
IP
■
(603)241-1802 or (5C3J790-ART3
T IC K E T S AT ALL
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