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Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party: Malika Favre Entry

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The Dinner Party Entry: Malika Favre

THE DINNER PARTY ENTRY: MALIKA FAVRE is a place setting that is also a frame highlighting the many gorgeously animated vector artworks by Malika Favre, culminating in her inclusion at Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party.

A Dinner Party Entry addition for women of the arts

Upon studying the women artists of the world like Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Yayoi Kusama, I was introduced to Judy Chicago and her feminist work The Dinner Party.

As the many inclusions covered women from many ethnic backgrounds, professions, and educations, I was given a choice as to who I would like to include should I be given the chance. Which would be very cool by the way!

Anyway, the women here are known for their acts of heroism, courage, talent, dedication to academia, the arts, and many iconic feats during their lifetimes. I decided to choose a woman who inspired me as an artist and continues to represent an elegant standard of quality and attention to detail through her work, Malika Favre.

Malika Favre

Favre is a French illustrator and graphic artist who has lived in France, London, and Italy during her career as she has created minimalist works in the styles of Pop and Op art for clients like The New Yorker, Sephora, Penguin Books, Vogue, and Vanity Fair to name a few.

I first came across Favre’s work when I accompanied my mom to a Sephora store that had her work on display for their Spring 2015 product launch. I was a junior in a vocational high school, studying graphic design and trying to develop my sense of style. Favre’s work was bold, popped, and direct. A clear extension of herself that could not be misunderstood, or misinterpreted. The clarity of her work inspired me to search for my own clarity in my work, and she continues to inspire me today as my favorite contemporary artist.

Become enamored with Malika Favre’s work on her website here.

P.S. If she ever reads this,

Thank you Miss Favre, for being true to yourself through your art and investigating beauty in the smallest details.

Reference

The Dinner Party has many examples of tapestries, and plates that represent the female guest. The plate designs are often associated with vaginal artistic interpretations crafted through sculpture. Some guests like Sojourner Truth, are represented with an illustration of highlights of their feats in life.

For Malika Favre, I felt representing her work through the most common mode of consumption in a digital age felt appropriate for her place setting. However, the selection process was difficult considering many works that Favre’s catalog provided were excellent choices.

Process

Initially, I knew I wanted to represent the classic red, white, and black style derived from Favre’s logo in the place setting. It allowed me a somewhat easy way of representing her in the tapestry, and utensils. The plate was a different story.

No single work of Favre’s felt weighted enough to be a single example of her artistry. Considering the range and quality of work presented in her portfolio as seen in the gif to the right, it was a tough choice. Then I remembered that some of her vector artworks are animated.

I searched through Favre’s Instagram account and screen-captured a few of her animated works. I then converted the screen captures to video clips, and sequenced them together into one clip. Thus Favre’s plate would be empty, so as to transform from a plate to a window frame that peers into the many works of the artist’s career thus far.

But this was not enough. I needed to include something more, considering the majority of the work presented was not my own other than designing the place setting itself. Then I remembered the works I created inspired by Favre and chose Textured Dreams. This piece was a personal exploration of the beauty of curly, and textured hair. I animated my work using Adobe After Effects for this project and included it at the end of the sequence to represent Favre’s legacy as she inspires the next generation of artists like myself.

A Selection of Works by Malika Favre

Place Setting Animation

BOM

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Illustration of K-Pop singer Park Bom of former girl group 2NE1, over a light pink background

Bom

  • Personal Work
  • Vector Illustration
  • Brandon Rodriguez

BOM is a vector illustration based on Park Bom (BOM) celebrating her debut song Spring.

2NE1 and the Legacy of Female-led Groups in the music industry

Music has been an important part of my life since my childhood, and girl groups hold a very special place in my heart for their songs about love, independence, and belief in oneself. One such group from the K-Pop scene of South Korea epitomized these themes, paving the way for all-girl groups that would come after.

The prolific 2NE1 is comprised of Park Bom, Sandara Park, Minzy, and the self-proclaimed “baddest female” CL leading the group. It was this girl group’s 2009 debut that introduced the United States and many other countries to K-Pop music. However, they have since disbanded, and have forged their own solo careers that continue to inspire fans like myself today.

The long-awaited return of their former lead vocalist, Park Bom was especially exciting! This was her solo debut and first appearance in the public eye since the 2016 disbandment of the group. In celebration of her return, I set out to design a few pieces inspired by the music video of her debut song Spring.

Inspiration

In my earlier years as a traditional artist, I feared using color in any of my work. With sketchbooks full of charcoal, graphite, and ink drawings, the use of color simply did not fit in. I did not understand it. Everytime I used it in a piece I permanently messed it up. And I just…no

When I finally discovered vector art at fourteen in my graphic design vocation class, color suddenly became a possibility. Through trial and error I found myself moving in the opposite direction of my style as a traditional artist from highly detailed black white, and grey drawings, to restricted two or four bold color illustrations that popped off the screen. I doubted myself often, and spent countless hours reworking edges, and curves trying to emulate fluid movements even at points of juncture at edges. It was not until I came across the work of Malika Favre that I began to trust my instincts.

Favre exhibits effortless splashes of color in provocative and at times subtle vector illustrations in magazines, promotional packaging, and motion graphics. The French artist inspires me to trust my process, and allow myself to have fun along the way.

Malika Favre

Medium

DARA is a vector illustration based on Sandara Park, known to all her fans as Dara, who made a surprising return herself in Park Bom’s music video for Spring. At the time of the song’s debut, Dara had not released any music of any kind since the group’s disbandment. That was three years of nothing but modeling and acting appearances on her part, so her unexpected appearance meant a lot to us fans.

Clothed in a burning crimson suit jacket, Dara had a forlorn look-conveying all of the pain that fans worldwide struggled with. It was a slow-burning experience to watch Park Bom be the target of ridicule and disgust, as she was apprehended back in 2015 for transporting medication for her ADHD. She was legally prescribed in the U.S., but the medication was actually illegal in Korea since most mental disorders are not recognized by their medical community. Korean fans and news outlets alike accused the singer of smuggling drugs, as if they were hard-core narcotics and it almost ruined her career.


In this vector illustration, the smooth curves I achieved with the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator were essential to capturing the emotions that I imagine Dara may have felt. I have been in situations in my life where I had to allow loved ones to suffer for a variation of reasons. Sometimes they do not want your help, other times you are bound by rules set by others and even the law.

The artistic choices I made were efforts to simplify the experience. The curated strokes and shapes ensured the rendering only highlighted that which I deemed relevant toward guiding viewers. It is an emotional experience tinged with frustration refined by silence.

How does it feel to watch a person that you care deeply for struggle and suffer the emotional onslaught of berating voices that you were powerless to silence? Have you ever wanted to help someone, but could only stand and watch?

That is what this piece feels like,

Reference

This gif shows the moment from the music video that I found most inspiring, and would eventually reference. The crimson jacket and lips, strands of hair frayed aside from the well styled body, and her eyes looking above and then outward together  indicate a struggle. The white oval zipper tag represents the purity of familial bonds, whilst the red all around it represents the all consuming hate that surrounded them.

Process

Working from reference provides a strong platform to build upon. Although, I believe as a designer we sometimes need to strip away the safety of a balanced experience in order to provoke the truest emotions and convey purer messages.

In my process I embark on a journey of discovering what the piece wants to become, and how I want to communicate that identity with the tools afforded to me. In the process of creating DARA, I sketched around the form of the model and captured an exact likeness. Then I worked to pull away elements that hindered the experience, while elevating some that would aid in provoking the desired emotions.

Below you will see the development period, and follow visually with me as I made decisions to remove and alter the piece.

Develpoment

Desing Appreciation

DARA

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Illustration of K-pop singer Sandara Park of former girl group 2NE1, over a red background.

DARA

  • Personal Work
  • Vector Illustration
  • Brandon Rodriguez

DARA is a vector illustration based on Sandara Park (DARA) celebrating her appearance in Park Bom’s Debut song Spring.

2NE1 and the Legacy of Female-led Groups in the music industry

Music has been an important part of my life since my childhood, and girl groups hold a very special place in my heart for their songs about love, independence, and belief in oneself. One such group from the K-Pop scene of South Korea epitomized these themes, paving the way for all-girl groups that would come after.

The prolific 2NE1 is comprised of Park Bom, Sandara Park, Minzy, and the self-proclaimed “baddest female” CL leading the group. It was this girl group’s 2009 debut that introduced the United States and many other countries to K-Pop music. However, they have since disbanded, and have forged their own solo careers that continue to inspire fans like myself today.

The long-awaited return of their former lead vocalist, Park Bom was especially exciting! This was her solo debut and first appearance in the public eye since the 2016 disbandment of the group. In celebration of her return, I set out to design a few pieces inspired by the music video of her debut song Spring.

Inspiration

In my earlier years as a traditional artist, I feared using color in any of my work. With sketchbooks full of charcoal, graphite, and ink drawings, the use of color simply did not fit in. I did not understand it. Everytime I used it in a piece I permanently messed it up. And I just…no

When I finally discovered vector art at fourteen in my graphic design vocation class, color suddenly became a possibility. Through trial and error I found myself moving in the opposite direction of my style as a traditional artist from highly detailed black white, and grey drawings, to restricted two or four bold color illustrations that popped off the screen. I doubted myself often, and spent countless hours reworking edges, and curves trying to emulate fluid movements even at points of juncture at edges. It was not until I came across the work of Malika Favre that I began to trust my instincts.

Favre exhibits effortless splashes of color in provocative and at times subtle vector illustrations in magazines, promotional packaging, and motion graphics. The French artist inspires me to trust my process, and allow myself to have fun along the way.

Malika Favre

Medium

DARA is a vector illustration based on Sandara Park, known to all her fans as Dara, who made a surprising return herself in Park Bom’s music video for Spring. At the time of the song’s debut, Dara had not released any music of any kind since the group’s disbandment. That was three years of nothing but modeling and acting appearances on her part, so her unexpected appearance meant a lot to us fans.

Clothed in a burning crimson suit jacket, Dara had a forlorn look-conveying all of the pain that fans worldwide struggled with. It was a slow-burning experience to watch Park Bom be the target of ridicule and disgust, as she was apprehended back in 2015 for transporting medication for her ADHD. She was legally prescribed in the U.S., but the medication was actually illegal in Korea since most mental disorders are not recognized by their medical community. Korean fans and news outlets alike accused the singer of smuggling drugs, as if they were hard-core narcotics and it almost ruined her career.


In this vector illustration, the smooth curves I achieved with the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator were essential to capturing the emotions that I imagine Dara may have felt. I have been in situations in my life where I had to allow loved ones to suffer for a variation of reasons. Sometimes they do not want your help, other times you are bound by rules set by others and even the law.

The artistic choices I made were efforts to simplify the experience. The curated strokes and shapes ensured the rendering only highlighted that which I deemed relevant toward guiding viewers. It is an emotional experience tinged with frustration refined by silence.

How does it feel to watch a person that you care deeply for struggle and suffer the emotional onslaught of berating voices that you were powerless to silence? Have you ever wanted to help someone, but could only stand and watch?

That is what this piece feels like,

Reference

This gif shows the moment from the music video that I found most inspiring, and would eventually reference. The crimson jacket and lips, strands of hair frayed aside from the well styled body, and her eyes looking above and then outward together  indicate a struggle. The white oval zipper tag represents the purity of familial bonds, whilst the red all around it represents the all consuming hate that surrounded them.

Process

Working from reference provides a strong platform to build upon. Although, I believe as a designer we sometimes need to strip away the safety of a balanced experience in order to provoke the truest emotions and convey purer messages.

In my process I embark on a journey of discovering what the piece wants to become, and how I want to communicate that identity with the tools afforded to me. In the process of creating DARA, I sketched around the form of the model and captured an exact likeness. Then I worked to pull away elements that hindered the experience, while elevating some that would aid in provoking the desired emotions.

Below you will see the development period, and follow visually with me as I made decisions to remove and alter the piece.

Develpoment

Desing Appreciation

LISTO

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An illustration of a Hispanic woman with a navy blue sun hat over a golden background

Listo

LISTO is a vector illustration exploring the value of morning rituals that women perform daily in order to feel ready for the day ahead

Getting the Modern Woman Ready

I was raised by a single mother of four and surrounded by sisters, and grandmothers my entire life. Mornings always began with makeup, hair, and coffee, sometimes all at the same time. But I wondered why they had to go through so much effort, to feel ready for the day.

Some of them performed these tasks because they enjoy them and apply them as a form of self-care. Others felt they had to or they would be treated differently-looked down upon because they did not align with the employee attire guidelines. Such was required of them, but not so much of their male peers.

In this vector illustration, I explore the concept of a woman getting ready. What is required, what outfit to wear, and how can she empower herself without feeling like she is bound to the physical expectations of her male contemporaries.

Reference

For this illustrations, I wanted to go against the common tropes associated with beauty standards represented in films, shows, video games, comics, etc. The female characters are almost always voluptuous, scantily dressed, with heavy contouring makeup, or unrealistic body shapes like tiny waists, and overaccentuated breasts.

Therefore, I chose a model that I could represent without the need to indicate her sexualized features like breasts and butt. The struggle was trying to indicate feminity without portraying the features that men have led me to believe.

Photo by Romane Van Troost via Unsplash

Design Process

Desing Appreciation

Textured Dreams

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Illustration of a black woman with waist length braided hair, over a pink background with a red silhouette and navy blue wavy lines.

Textured Dreams

TEXTURED DREAMS is a vector illustration that portrays the personal journey of accepting natural textured, curly hair.

Sending Love to people of color struggling to accept their hair

An illustrative memoir, TEXTURED DREAMS is a reminder of the dreams had by countless youth of color in their journey to love their hair and other features of their physical appearance, while in turn, learning to love themselves.

I spent my younger years neglecting my long, unruly Dominican and Puerto Rican curls. I felt different, I felt unkept, I felt wrong. The white boys in my schools had straight, blonde, and easy-flowing hair. They looked like the white or lightly tanned men with “normal” hairstyles in movies and shows, while I looked like none of them. Even in animated features geared towards children, my classmates could easily emulate all of Disney’s princes, and cartoon characters like Fred Jones, Superman, Ben Tennyson, Jonny Bravo, Danny Phantom, Timmy Turner, and the list goes on.

For years I wanted to look like Marlon Brando with a slick back style, or at least one of Danny Zuko’s combed-over greasers wearing cool jeans, leather jackets, and GREAT gelled hair. But that was not possible for me without the use of harsh chemicals, and expensive repetitive treatments to maintain the facade.

If you want to be liked or be perceived as cool, you have to assimilate and look like people as they are portrayed in common media, and pop culture. Translation, you need to get rid of, or calm down your curls and look like a white person.

“Calm your curls Rivas, calm your curls Rivas, calm your curls Rivas.”

⸺ Christopher Rivas [“I’m An Actor of Color. My Curls Aren’t Wanted.” The New York Times, July 13, 2020]

In this piece, we are no longer fitting in. We are breaking the molds that we as people of color have been told we needed to fit into in order to be accepted. In this piece, an African American woman dreams of having long, breezy, straight hair. Though gorgeous and braided, she fantasizes about a less textured dream. In this same dream, she realizes her NATURAL TEXTURED CURLY hair is beautiful and has been this entire time.

Inspiration

When I was around nine years of age I thought a little about how my beloved step-grandfather Mr. Eddy would always refer to me as “Prince”. All those years I simply assumed he was calling me a prince, like royalty. It wasn’t until my mother had me watch Purple Rain that I realized he was comparing my curls to that of the prolific multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and one of the greatest musicians of his generation Prince Rogers Nelson. Only then did I begin to find comfort in my naturally occurring curly hair.

Prince Rogers Nelson

Design Process

Emotion Motion

My reference image provided a strong foundation for me to work on. But I needed to convey the dream aspect of the piece. I also wanted to represent the internal pain of self-rejection. The feeling woman is dreaming of free-flowing hair while discovering the beauty of her natural hair.

Once I was satisfied with the design, I decided to animate the piece to further represent the dream aspect of the piece.

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