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Los Angeles based artist Michelle Barrett uses both painting and graphic apparel design to explore ideas of contemporary experiences. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Otis College of Art and Design in 2022, and currently assists alongside painter Suzan Woodruff, in addition to freelancing.
With her passion project Shopratz, an apparel brand shared with her cousin Emily Andreas, her brand and paintings both revolve around themes of hyperfemininity, memes, internet culture, and sexual innuendo. As her art evolved during the pandemic, so did her political and spiritual views, seamlessly integrating into her fashion design space.
Emphasizing concepts like social media, technology, memes, language, and trends, Michelle expresses her ideas through paintings, often referencing photography from Shopratz. The connection between her designs with ShopRatz and her fine art is evident due to her passion for making art accessible to everyone.
Acknowledging her privilege of studying at a four year institution, Michelle addresses the gap between fine art and the general public by creating affordable apparel that resonates with her fine art.
Michelle actively integrates graphic designs from fashion into her paintings, aiming to enhance the substance of the apparel consumed by the general public. Beyond apparel, her designs find visibility in public spaces through graffiti and slap stickers, promoting accessibility to art in unconventional ways.
I SURVIVED THE BIMBO SUMMIT
ARTIST STATEMENT
In 2006 The New York Post published a front page photo of three celebrities Lindsay Lohan,
Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton titled Bimbo Summit and referring to them as the three bimbos of the apocalypse. The article continued to question the morals of the women and perpetuated their party behavior as “no clues, no cares,” while examining their motives as mothers and spouses. American media became obsessed with broadcasting the lives of female celebrities in libeling and misogynistic means, while simultaneously disregarding male celebrities who engaged in behaviors alike.
“I SURVIVED THE BIMBO SUMMIT” is a play on popular tee shirt slogans often referring to rollercoaster merchandise usually with the title “I Survived the -”, while also emulating the original news headline. With a shift in feminism and views towards female celebrities in media, moments in pop culture around the early 2000’s are now reminisced as influential and iconic.
This piece is an homage to Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton and many other women who “survived” the misogyny that existed in the early 2000’s.
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