PENNY SIOPIS
“SHAME SERIES” (2002 - 2005)
MOVEMENT/MODE: Contemporary art
DESCRIPTION: 135 small scale works of unsettling sexualised images of young girls and adults.
INFLUANCE & CONTEXT: Siopis explores acts of sexual violence towards young girls in SA.
INTERPRETATION & SYMBOLISM: Physical and emotional su ering from abuse and how love was degenerated to violence. She
describes the state of our emotion called shame. The horror of what is being portrayed is overwhelming, as the pieces are studied we
become desensitized. Siopis aims not to shock but rather consider the physicality of shame itself. It focuses on the victims rather than
perpetrators - vulnerability and being robbed of dignity give rise to the shame.
HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY & BEHAVIOUR: Psychological state of distress we call shame, she is making a statement about society and
what is wrong in it.
ART AS A REFLECTION OF SOCIETY -- SOCIAL/ POLITICAL/ HISTORICAL/ ECONOMICAL / GENDER/ GLOBALISATION: She
mainly concerns herself with the plight of women and children in society– her images become universal experiences, can be
understood globally.
TECHNOLOGY & NEW MEDIA: The surfaces are lacquered, with dripping red glossy oil and enamel paint. The paint itself speaks of
entanglements of emotions as it pools, runs, drips and congeals. The colour red is symbolic of blood/ flesh/ wounds. The process of
stamping – physical/ violent and damaging. The sentimental phrases become ironic and sinister – but also create beautiful mark
making and texture. Duality is strong- we are drawn in by the textured media to be confronted with unsettling content. Small scale –
draw the viewer in.
AFRICAN IDENTITY: The heavy burden and history of apartheid – the shame of what happened. We all carry that with us. The new
society that we are crafting and becoming post 1994 – all play a role and have to accept accountability for the shameful incidents that
continue to occur.
, PENNY SIOPIS
“PINKY PINKY SERIES” (2002)
MODE/MOVEMENT: Contemporary art
DESCRIPTION: Oil paint and found objects on board and canvas as well as sculptures all done exclusively in shades of pink
derived from the “flesh tone” paint colour
INFLUENCE & CONTEXT: Penny Siopis was influenced by the psychological and mythical ground of South African teenagers and
the influence of the mythical creature, Pinky Pinky, who makes himself known to pre-pubescent and pubescent girls mainly in
black townships and schools in South Africa.
INTERPRETATION & SYMBOLISM: Pinky Pinky is a very real figure for many girls and represents the fears and anxieties the
girls face as their bodies develop and their social standings change. He is represented in many shapes and forms, indicating that
he is to blame for more than one social ill.
HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY & BEHAVIOUR: By representing this “creature” that inflicts so much harm and damage on so many
young girls as something that looks aesthetic, the viewer is able to bear the concept of the artwork. Pinky PInky is a mythical
creature that is a man/woman/animal hybrid that acts like a man, the creature is the scapegoat who takes the blame for all our
current social ills.
ART AS A REFLECTION OF SOCIETY -- SOCIAL/ POLITICAL/ HISTORICAL/ ECONOMICAL / GENDER/ GLOBALISATION:
This artwork represents how humans have distanced themselves from the every day problems that are faced, instead of
confronting men who rape girls, they have to make an analogy, a mythical creature, in order to make the explicit content easy to
understand for young girls who should not have to deal with these types of problems at such a young age.
TECHNOLOGY / NEW MEDIA + MEANING IN MEDIA: The thick impasto paint used in the Pinky Pinky paintings relates to
human flesh as the paint has a flesh-like quality in the way that it dries. The commercially manufactured “flesh tone” was used
as a starting point in every depiction, which emphasises the dehumanizing nature of these manufacturers. The found objects
such as glass eyes, eye lashes and dolls make the images have a feeling of uncertainty and fear. The sculptures commissioned
and made out of beads give the figures a fetish quality
AFRICAN IDENTITY: As an African, you have to be very careful of who you trust and where you go. You are never safe. Even
those who seem to be harmless, might not be.
“SHAME SERIES” (2002 - 2005)
MOVEMENT/MODE: Contemporary art
DESCRIPTION: 135 small scale works of unsettling sexualised images of young girls and adults.
INFLUANCE & CONTEXT: Siopis explores acts of sexual violence towards young girls in SA.
INTERPRETATION & SYMBOLISM: Physical and emotional su ering from abuse and how love was degenerated to violence. She
describes the state of our emotion called shame. The horror of what is being portrayed is overwhelming, as the pieces are studied we
become desensitized. Siopis aims not to shock but rather consider the physicality of shame itself. It focuses on the victims rather than
perpetrators - vulnerability and being robbed of dignity give rise to the shame.
HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY & BEHAVIOUR: Psychological state of distress we call shame, she is making a statement about society and
what is wrong in it.
ART AS A REFLECTION OF SOCIETY -- SOCIAL/ POLITICAL/ HISTORICAL/ ECONOMICAL / GENDER/ GLOBALISATION: She
mainly concerns herself with the plight of women and children in society– her images become universal experiences, can be
understood globally.
TECHNOLOGY & NEW MEDIA: The surfaces are lacquered, with dripping red glossy oil and enamel paint. The paint itself speaks of
entanglements of emotions as it pools, runs, drips and congeals. The colour red is symbolic of blood/ flesh/ wounds. The process of
stamping – physical/ violent and damaging. The sentimental phrases become ironic and sinister – but also create beautiful mark
making and texture. Duality is strong- we are drawn in by the textured media to be confronted with unsettling content. Small scale –
draw the viewer in.
AFRICAN IDENTITY: The heavy burden and history of apartheid – the shame of what happened. We all carry that with us. The new
society that we are crafting and becoming post 1994 – all play a role and have to accept accountability for the shameful incidents that
continue to occur.
, PENNY SIOPIS
“PINKY PINKY SERIES” (2002)
MODE/MOVEMENT: Contemporary art
DESCRIPTION: Oil paint and found objects on board and canvas as well as sculptures all done exclusively in shades of pink
derived from the “flesh tone” paint colour
INFLUENCE & CONTEXT: Penny Siopis was influenced by the psychological and mythical ground of South African teenagers and
the influence of the mythical creature, Pinky Pinky, who makes himself known to pre-pubescent and pubescent girls mainly in
black townships and schools in South Africa.
INTERPRETATION & SYMBOLISM: Pinky Pinky is a very real figure for many girls and represents the fears and anxieties the
girls face as their bodies develop and their social standings change. He is represented in many shapes and forms, indicating that
he is to blame for more than one social ill.
HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY & BEHAVIOUR: By representing this “creature” that inflicts so much harm and damage on so many
young girls as something that looks aesthetic, the viewer is able to bear the concept of the artwork. Pinky PInky is a mythical
creature that is a man/woman/animal hybrid that acts like a man, the creature is the scapegoat who takes the blame for all our
current social ills.
ART AS A REFLECTION OF SOCIETY -- SOCIAL/ POLITICAL/ HISTORICAL/ ECONOMICAL / GENDER/ GLOBALISATION:
This artwork represents how humans have distanced themselves from the every day problems that are faced, instead of
confronting men who rape girls, they have to make an analogy, a mythical creature, in order to make the explicit content easy to
understand for young girls who should not have to deal with these types of problems at such a young age.
TECHNOLOGY / NEW MEDIA + MEANING IN MEDIA: The thick impasto paint used in the Pinky Pinky paintings relates to
human flesh as the paint has a flesh-like quality in the way that it dries. The commercially manufactured “flesh tone” was used
as a starting point in every depiction, which emphasises the dehumanizing nature of these manufacturers. The found objects
such as glass eyes, eye lashes and dolls make the images have a feeling of uncertainty and fear. The sculptures commissioned
and made out of beads give the figures a fetish quality
AFRICAN IDENTITY: As an African, you have to be very careful of who you trust and where you go. You are never safe. Even
those who seem to be harmless, might not be.
