Zoë Buckman (born 13 September 1985) is an English artist, photographer and writer.

Early life

Buckman was born in Hackney,

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

, England, to Jewish parents Jennie Buckman, an acting teacher and playwright, and Nick Blatchley, a government health official. Her uncle is

Peter Buckman Peter Buckman is an English writer and literary agent. He has been involved in the publishing industry for many years; he was on the editorial board of Penguin Books, and a commissioning editor for the New American Library in New York City. He ...

, an English writer and literary agent.

Artwork

''Heavy Rag''

''Heavy Rag'' examines the dichotomy of boxing, a sport in which gloves are used to harm, as well as for protection. The body of work was Buckman's first exhibition to open since her mother's death, and was greatly inspired by Louise Bourgeois’ textile works. Although the themes in this exhibition are not very celebratory, the colorful and warm fabrics that Buckman uses throughout her punching bags, glove clusters and flatworks, remind her of her mother and grandmother.

''Present Life''

''Present Life'' examines the temporary nature and beauty of life from the focal-point of the exhibit, Buckman's plastinated placenta. After the birth of Buckman's daughter, Cleo, Buckman was informed that her placenta had deteriorated and could have caused the premature death of her child had she not been born. Buckman preserved her placenta through

plastination Plastination is a technique or process used in anatomy to preserve bodies or body parts, first developed by Gunther von Hagens in 1977. The water and fat are replaced by certain plastics, yielding specimens that can be touched, do not smell or ...

and used the experience to inform her ''Present Life'' art series. In the series, Buckman's plastinated placenta is shown encased in marble.

''Every Curve''

''Every Curve'' brings together Buckman's love of 1990s rap lyrics from

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradi ...

and

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

, and her

Feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

ideology through an installation of embroidery on vintage women's lingerie. Buckman hand embroidered rap lyrics onto vintage garments to explore the conflict between feminism and hip-hop. Katherine Fritz of MTV says that the art series explores the dialogue between the misogynistic lyrics within rap and the pro-abortion rights, feminist content found within the text. ''Every Curve'' "illustrates the oppositional perceptions of woman as sexual object, woman as love, and woman as creator; perceptions which, with recourse to history, remain unchanged", stated art critic Hannah-Rosanne Poulton of A Taste for Art.

''Mostly It's Just Uncomfortable''

''Mostly It’s Just Uncomfortable'' is Buckman's response to the political controversy surrounding

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

in the United States. The body of work includes gynecological and boxing imagery and objects. Two of the neon works from the series, ''Champion'' and ''Champ'' have been featured in the inaugural exhibition of For Freedoms, an artist-run Super PAC, at Jack Shainman Gallery and

Rock The Vote Rock the Vote is a Nonprofit organization, non-profit organization in the United States. Through registering new young voters, the group aims to "channel the energy among young people around racial, economic, and health justice into one of the mo ...

's ''Truth to Power'' exhibition at the 2016

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

(DNC) in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

''Let Her Rave''

''Let Her Rave'' is a response to a line in

Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tub ...

’ poem Ode on Melancholy. The work in this series is about the society’s control of women and their bodies through patriarchal constructs. Though she has been a long time Keats’ admirer, the artist was unable to resolve the line ‘Or if thy mistress some rich anger shows / Imprison her soft hand, and let her rave.’ Sculptures of boxing gloves trimmed with vintage wedding dresses that hang from the ceiling as well as a powerful neon adorned with wedding veils explore the complex aggressions that women face each day and the idea that they must fight in response. Further in terms of matrimony they suggest the weight, strength, and delicacy of marriage and its impact on womanhood.

Collaborations and public projects

Buckman is a member of For Freedoms, the first artist-run Super PAC founded by artists

Eric Gottesman Everything Goes Cold is an American Industrial music, industrial band from California. Their lead singer, Eric Gottesman, is notable as a founding member of industrial metal band Psyclon Nine, and a live musician with Ayria, Caustic (band), Cau ...

and

Hank Willis Thomas Hank Willis Thomas (born 1976) is an American conceptual artist. Based in Brooklyn, New York, he works primarily with themes related to identity, history, and popular culture. Early life and education Hank Willis Thomas was born in 1976 in P ...

. She has participated in several projects with the organization including an exhibition at Jack Shainman, New York City; a bus bench with Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago; a billboard -‘’Grab ‘Em By the Ballots’’ – in

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

, PA; and a political campaign advertisement for ''

W Magazine ''W'' (or ''W Magazine'') is an American fashion magazine that was launched in 1972 as a sister publication to ''Women's Wear Daily''. The magazine features stories about style through the lens of art, celebrity, culture, fashion and film. Ba ...

'' featuring

Jemima Kirke Jemima Jo Kirke (born 26 April 1985) is a British-American artist, actress and director. She gained international acclaim through her role as Jessa Johansson in the 2012 HBO series '' Girls''. She made her film debut in the 2005 indie short '' ...

. Buckman and

Natalie Frank Natalie Frank (born 1980) is an American artist. Currently living and working in New York City, her work deals with themes of power, sexuality, gender, feminism, and identity. Although Frank is best known as a painter, she has also explored other ...

collaborated on Buckman's first public project, a mural at

New York Live Arts New York Live Arts (Live Arts) is a movement-focused arts organization in New York City that serves as the home of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. The building was formerly the home of Dance Theatre Workshop, with which the Bill T. J ...

during spring 2017 titled ''We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident''. The piece was a response to election of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

and it utilizes misogynistic text gathered from statements that former and current male politicians have made about women and their bodies.

Personal life

In 2010 Buckman married

David Schwimmer David Lawrence Schwimmer (born November 2, 1966) is an American actor, director, and producer. He gained worldwide recognition for portraying Ross Geller in the sitcom '' Friends'', for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Pri ...

. They had a daughter in 2011, and in 2017 they separated, then divorced.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckman, Zoe 1985 births Living people English women photographers English contemporary artists British women artists Writers from the London Borough of Hackney British people of Jewish descent