Ana Benaroya depicts female bodies that push against gender and societal norms. Their intensely colored figures are bursting with energy, their exaggerated muscles and breasts refusing to be contained as they dissolve the binary between the male and the female form. They capture the intensity of lesbian desire, projecting confidence in the way they hold their bodies and engage the viewer.
Benaroya has long been fascinated by the superhero-esque male body that dominated the comics of her youth and she continues to draw on the legacy of comics and caricature in her work, citing artists like Peter Saul, Carroll Dunham, and Tom of Finland as inspiration. She is keenly aware of the subversive power of humor and toes the line between funny and serious in her depictions of violence, sexuality, and desire.
Ana Benaroya
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