Week 8 — Artist — Joseph DeLappe & Micol Hebron
Joseph DeLappe and Micol Hebron
Joseph DeLappe and Micol Hebron are both intermedia artists. This means they use a variety of media to convey a range of different contemporary topics. DeLappe’s work explores ideas of virtual worlds and life within them. Hebron is a video and performance artist all while being a professor at Chapman University. Her work explores ideas of feminism and equal rights. She founded the LA Art Girls which is a group of over 30 female artists in the Los Angeles area. Both artists explore ideas through their artwork that are relevant to society today.
DeLappe created a series of watercolor paintings of different people experiencing virtual reality by using VR headsets in 2018. This series is painted with vivid colors as a result of DeLappe wearing color blind correcting glasses. The paint is very fluid as it is watercolor. The edges of each individual are soft and faint. In response to Instagram’s nipple policy to protest social media sexism, Hebron created an “Acceptable Male Nipple Template.” The form of this proactive form of art is harsh and straightforward. The image comprises mostly of bold print and an image of a hand pointing to the nipple cut out. Both artists use very different forms and media to portray their art pieces.
DeLappe’s art is a more typical form of art. He portrays what it feels like to witness others experiencing virtual reality. Each painting captures a moment in time without showing what virtual reality each individual with a headset on is experiencing. The idea behind the art is not to wonder what reality the individuals are experiencing but rather to observe the moment. Hebron’s art makes more of a statement than DeLappe’s. The majority of her work focuses on equal rights among males and females. Her template is a cut out image of a male nipple that encourages anyone to paste onto a female nipple before uploading potentially nude photos onto Instagram. She created it to provoke a male audience and anyone else that is uncomfortable seeing female nipples opposed to male nipples. Her main goal for her work was to normalize the fact that everyone has nipples and that women should not be sexualized for having a body part that men have as well.
Both Delappe and Hebron create art that resonate with me. From topics of virtual worlds and experiences to fighting for equal rights among sexes, I can relate to both artists’ work. With Covid-19 promoting virtual experiences such as education and business meetings or interviews, virtual reality is literally becoming more of a reality than ever. I spend every single day using a form of technology, whether it be for school or for my own personal or social life. As for Hebron activism, I’m inspired by her work and accomplishments. After researching both artists, I realized how relevant their work is to today’s society.