The woman has never had a time of such succinct empowerment, especially in contemporary art. Carmen Lima, an 18 year-old digital artist from Rio de Janeiro, creates portraits of fashion models that all create a tapestry of one central idea: girls are just as tough as boys.
Although Carmen is currently studying business, she has had an interest in art ever since her father gave her pencils and paper to draw the lush landscapes they would explore on their travels. Since then, she has been making digital pieces on her computer to convey a gritty- and very modern- look at the woman of today. René Magritte, Carmen’s favorite artist, had a similar tendency of transforming the things that are usually used to oppress women into something that is revered and appreciated. “I believe my art shows this idea of what men have used to oppress women for generations, and transform it into something positive using provocative images.”
Lima feels that in the fast-paced world we now live in, attention to detail is not surviving. Although she looks down on this aspect of modern art, she belives that digital art is a way of moving forward; a way of utilizing technology to create in a new way. “[My art] is all done electronically and whilst I think it’s important to retain tradition, it’s also important to venture forward with my art,” she says.
Feminism plays a very large role in her work. She speaks about this dimension of her work by saying, “I believe that my art correlates with modern times, and I attempt to convey these ideas through bad girls, beautiful models, and other empowering images.” Her gritty and powerful images of women express not only her feelings about gender, but her ideas about the art that surrounds us.
“I think that everybody should feel the pleasure of painting or drawing or illustrating something. Art is something that comes from your soul. Get a little piece of paper and draw your thoughts- you’ll feel better.”
Interview by Zak Cannon. See more of Carmen Lima's work at furples.tumblr.com.