The work: Jess Miller, Girl Relaxing, 2021. Oil on board, 140 x 140cm. Courtesy: the artist.
Slouched on a porch that could be found fronting any Melbourne share-house, the sitter in artist Jess Miller’s work Girl Relaxing turns to greet the viewer with a look of exhaustion. An extension of her ongoing aesthetic investigations into the effects that societal pressures have on female-identifying persons, we see here a woman isolated and irritated. “This piece is very personal,” says the artist. “It symbolises the notion of reflecting on the day, being relieved of the character you presented, and plunging back into your own reality.” The curve of figure’s back and the downturned corners of her mouth speak to a great weight upon her, imposed by a society wherein femininity and the female experience is exceedingly taxing, accentuated by the standards imposed by social media. The details of this work add depth to the emotive cast of the figure, with several old cigarette stubs remaining in the ash tray, dust swept up and left in the corner, and splashes of wine left to dry on the porch floor. They speak to how little energy is left to deal with the personal. In the end, this piece speaks to the need for each person to take time for themselves, and acts as a reminder to take what the world throws at you with a pinch of salt – and a glass of wine.