Maya Benham

My art leans into the objectification of femininity and the relation between beauty and perversion. I address themes like voyeurism, violation, anger, and retaliation, all from a distinctly feminine point of view. I’m drawn to artworks that are both attractive and disturbing at the same time. Images that pull you in but also make you uneasy. My works emphasize the intersection of beauty and discomfort; they capture the complexity of feminine identity and sexuality through a dreamlike visual language, which sits somewhere between fantasy and nightmare.

I make brightly colored, candy-smooth paintings that focus on fragments of the human form. These figures are overtly sexual and deviate from acceptable presentations of femininity by combining elements of delicate feminine imagery with an edge of violence and distortion. Adornments like pearls, jewels, latex, and spikes pierce the imagery in my paintings, using them to question ideas of beauty, desire, and fetish. The result is a tension between attraction and discomfort. This creates a connection between unattainable erotic fantasies and feelings of revulsion. The beautiful figures are fragmented and malformed, but they retain the autonomy to protect themselves and retaliate. They possess a malevolence associated with their warped nature, often turning themselves from victims into weapons.