About

The Artist

Clarissa Odin, (Clare), holds a Master’s of Fine Arts degree from Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD), and a BA from Knox College. Odin is an oil painter and drawer who enjoys creating social narrative art, especially feminist portraiture. Her work often grapples with situations of disempowerment that women have faced and continue to endure. Depictions of women in contemporary culture and art historical contexts drive her work and need to generate conversations surrounding the visual representation of women. Odin often creates self-portraits that reflect her identity and the ways that cultural implications have complicated what it means to be a woman. She is intrigued by the alluring power that femininity possesses but also aware of how femininity is so often represented as the subordinate gender. Consequently, She is compelled to address the problematic history of the visual representation of women in her work. Her recent painting explorations have been motivated by her desire to depict complex, empowering imagery of female figures and the dual impulses that one can feel toward femininity. Odin is influenced by Surrealism and Magic realism, which is evident in her expressive decisions to deviate from expected reality in her work.