Janne Kearney: Eye Candy

Janne Kearney’s broad spectrum colourful images offer a message of female empowerment and sexual autonomy

Janne Kearney’s broad spectrum colourful images offer a message of personal empowerment and sexual autonomy. In her current series 'Eye Candy' the artist often positions her subjects against a background of shapes that densely interlock and overlap in a spectrum of bold colour.

The people in 'Eye Candy' display an overt and playful sexuality as they suggestively lick lollipops and return the viewers’ gaze unabashedly. It’s not so common to see women depicted in fine art or in popular culture as not just owning, but openly enjoying their sexual selves.

By portraying her subjects as anything but passive, Kearney subverts the patriarchal male gaze by returning it assuredly back at the viewer. In doing so she creates a space in her art where all forms of sexual and gender orientation are not just accepted but celebrated.