My artistic practice addresses the broad themes of body and identity—more specifically their relation to femininity and womanhood. I draw inspiration from a wide variety of texts, feminist writings, social theories of gender, as well as my own personal lived experiences existing in a heteropatriarchy. My work is an attempt to identify and interrogate the insidious ways that the degrading of the feminine encroaches upon and shapes identity.

I’m currently interested in the interaction between modern beauty ideals/objectification and the ramifications they can have on the development of the self. There’s a fascinating juxtaposition between these concepts that is rife with tension—one that I find has a lot of potential for the creation of visuals. During my stay at Luminous Bodies, I’ll be focusing on developing images from this interplay of concepts. I look forward to learning from the other participating artists, their methods, and their approach to the heterogeneous body.

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Kendra Schellenberg is an emerging artist from the Fraser Valley, British Columbia. She is a graduate of the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at the University of the Fraser Valley, where she graduated with a major in visual arts and an extended minor in creative writing. Inspired by personal concerns and informed by academic research, Kendra works in multiple mediums, including painting, drawing, photography, and print media.