Francesca Staffiero and Flaminia Rocchi Collage

It’s my observation that many daughters come to resemble their mothers. This is most obvious in their physical appearance, but is also often the case with regard to their attitudes to life and their sense of style. One thing that many mothers and daughters share is a fear of ageing and it’s often argued that the modern media environment exacerbates what has always been society’s cult of youth, which can often cause unhappiness and the unhealthy over-concern with personal appearance. This pre-occupation has underpinned the huge make-up market, and more recently led to the fast-growing use of chemicals such as Botox and cosmetic surgery to reduce the wrinkles, frown lines and loose skin which are a natural part of growing older. The Unilever toiletries brand Dove has capitalised on this deep-seated phenomenon and the concerns surrounding it with their “Campaign for Real Beauty” http://www.perlabellezzaautentica.it/ However, this campaign has had less than universal success and may even be being withdrawn in some markets – an indication of how entrenched are ideas about female beauty… In this context the overall objective of the “Sandpapered Portraits” is to make women feel better about their natural selves and to help them come to terms with the ageing process in a positive and life-affirming way. The intention is that the pairs of mother and daughter sitters will see their faces juxtaposed and with the sandpapering they will see the symbolism of the passage of time and their similarity to each other. Through the dual image the daughter will see how beautiful her mother is without make-up, Botox, or cosmetic surgery and that she has no need to fear the ageing process. From the mother’s point of view she will see how beautiful her daughter is and yes, be reminded of her own youth, but reassured that she still looks wonderful now.

Collage:Paper on Paper

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:16.5 W x 11.8 H x 0.1 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.