Indoctrination in the Dark
"Indoctrination in the Dark” is my series of twelve paintings that focus on the movie plots that I, and many of the men who run our government, grew up on; plot lines that present the subjugation of women as entertainment. These stories have presented distorted male/female power dynamics, sexual assault, and even rape as either comedy or the path to true love and happiness. These plot lines groom men to do whatever it takes to achieve their agendas; they learn that ignoring or dismissing what a woman says is the action of a hero."
'Rocky', oil, acrylic marker, spray paint on canvas, 30 x 50 inches.
'In my 24 minute , Artist Commentary I discuss the impetus for this painting series. How Brett Kavanaugh himself, at his Supreme Court confirmation hearings, cited these movies and their influence on him as a teenager. His words, and the outcome of those hearings, haunted me. I couldn’t fathom how, regardless of one’s politics, twenty-seven years after Anita Hill, a woman’s words could still be delegitimized and dismissed for someone else’s agenda.'
'Goldfinger' oil, acrylic marker, spray paint on canvas, 30 x 50 inches.
left to right: 'Snow White', oil on canvas, 30 x 36 inches.,
'Revenge of the Nerds', acrylic, glitter, sequins, spangles, acrylic marker, 30 x 48 inches., 'Pepe Le Pew' acrylic, acrylic marker on canvas, 30 x 36 inches.
'The Notebook', oil, pastel, marker, spray paint on canvas, 36 x 48 inches.
'I found part of that answer in the plot lines of these movies we were raised on.
These paintings reveal the false messaging of these movies, highlight the power of storytelling, and the danger of giving that power to others. It is my hope this work will inspire women to reclaim that power and write their own stories, and men to write different ones. With them, we can begin to undo this “Indoctrination in the Dark”.
Because who owns the stories, owns the culture.'
Daena Title
2022
'Gone With The Wind', oil, acrylic, acrylic marker, glitter on canvas, 36 x 48 inches.
left to right: 'Meatballs', acrylic, pencil, watercolor pencil, ink on canvas, 48 x 48 inches., 'Sixteen Candles', acrylic, marker on canvas, 27.5 x 45 inches., 'It Happened One Night', acrylic, oil, pencil, glitter, spray paint, marker on canvas, 36 x 36 inches.
'Say Anything', oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches.
'Animal House', oil on canvas, 36 x 60 inches.
Feminist painter Daena Title is best known for her obsession with modern female icons: Barbie, Wonder Woman, Beauty Pageant winners, and now, iconic movies. Her oil, acrylic or mixed media canvases are her social commentaries on the ongoing love-hate relationship between women, societal standards and self esteem.
Now in Los Angeles, transplanted New Yorker Title’s work has been shown in galleries, museums and art fairs since 1997, including a recent solo show at the Chelsea, NYC gallery Carter Burden, and group exhibitions at the Wausau Museum, the Carnegie Art Museum, the Long Beach Art Museum, The Oceanside Museum, the Riverside Museum, and the Torrance Art Museum. Title is proud that her work is part of the Brooklyn Museum Online Feminist Art Base and the Tullman Collection of Chicago.
Daena Title, in her studio.
Daena Title's artwork, displayed in her studio.
Website: https://daenatitle.com/home.html
