Margaret Lazzari:

Margaret Lazzari is an artist, writer and educator. Throughout her career, she has produced a number of distinct series of work, dealing primarily with social and political criticism, ideas of beauty, memory and life changes. Her art has been shown extensively in Los Angeles, Chicago and northern California, in addition to many other venues.

While her work can be categorized into several separate series, almost every piece of the past seven years has focused on depictions of humans with their physical, material body presence. But the physical aspect in every case is only the outer “shell” of a deeper human issue revealed by the artist—intimate relationships, violence, gender roles, sexual politics, and stereotypes.

Beauty and body image have been major themes in the artwork of Margaret Lazzari. In her portrayals of them she has always tried to redefine the elements of the predominant beauty standard—conformity, youth, Caucasian features, slimness—and bring forth the importance of vitality, strength, personal fulfillment. “I have sought to re-imagine the sensual woman, as sensual from within, defining her sexuality herself, apart from any judgment of others,” the artist says.

The issue of body image has also another less romantic side for Margaret Lazzari—body violation. Violence on human beings is a stark but undeniable reality in America. Whether criminal, sexual, socially sanctioned or self-imposed, violence has a profoundly destructive effect on the individual. And it is this human dimension of body violence that the artist portrays in her works.

The issue of body violation is very much a reality for Margaret Lazzari as well. She was diagnosed with breast cancer just a few months ago, and is currently undergoing treatment. Her reality has dramatically changed, but she continues to teach, create, and inspire…