Domestic Obsessions, an art exhibition by Amy Stevens presented by Auburn University's department of art, will be free and open to the public in the gallery at Biggin Hall until Feb. 21.
The exhibit features Stevens' photo-series, Confections.
In response to her 30th birthday, Stevens said she attempted to bake and decorate 30 cakes using guides from Martha Stewart and online videos.
"When I realized that it wasn't going to be quite as perfect as the cakes I was looking at, I decided to take a turn and just make them kind of crazy and ridiculous and funny," Stevens said.
After eight years, Stevens has baked and photographed more than 100 cakes against cheery fabric backgrounds, which are on a slideshow in the gallery.
The process of creating Confections allowed Stevens to examine female domestic roles and the impossible search for perfection.
"It became more about issues surrounding perfection and being a woman in this do-it-yourself and domestic popular culture," Stevens said.
In the middle of the gallery is a tower of 25 bright patterned pillows. "I Just Need One More..." is Stevens' interpretation of domesticity as obsessive accumulating. Stevens was inspired to create the exhibit after she bought her first house. Stevens said the freestanding structure would ideally be complete with more stacks of pillows around it.
"It's funny because I actually need more than just one more," Stevens said.
Using leftover fabric from Confections, Stevens crafted other 3-D installations which are on display in Biggin. These include scattered groups of fabric yo-yos collectively titled "Accumulations," the unwieldy ceiling-to-floor "176 Coasters" and "Gathering," a fabric wall hanging.
Throughout the gallery, Stevens' signature color pallet prevails: girlish pinks, vibrant citrus and cool greens. Florals, polka dots and paisley patterns cover the cloth pieces.
Equally influenced by home decor magazines and Pinterest, Stevens explained in her artist's note that the exhibit is meant to be an exuberant feminist dialogue that is both humorous and provocative.
Jonathan Bailey, a junior in Fine Arts, was first struck by the bright colors and retro patterns in Stevens' installation.
"Everything's very full," he said. "It's not subjects that I'd really put with these textures, but I like it a lot."
Rachel Herring, a junior in graphic design, noted the interplay between the fabric backgrounds and the icing artwork in Confections.
"There's definitely more to it than I thought," Herring said. "It's so intricate."
Jessye McDowell, exhibitions and lectures coordinator at Biggin, said Stevens' aesthetic was different from other styles of artwork shown in the gallery.
"We want students to be exposed to a wide range of approaches and ways and working with a variety of mediums," McDowell said.
According to McDowell, Stevens combined the tradition of commercial photography with the symbolism of what was considered women's work--sewing and cooking--to develop pieces that are "grotesque and aggressively cheerful."
McDowell felt Stevens' work would benefit Auburn art students as much as it would new patrons of the arts.
Unusual for most exhibits held in Biggin, Stevens unites multimedia, installation art and framed photography to express a complete idea.
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