Domina Domi
Written by Erin Madarieta, Curator, 2019
Domina Domi translates from Latin as “mistress of the house.” What is the meaning of such a role for the woman who occupies it? What are the limitations and powers, pains and pleasures of her position? Meier’s abstract works signal traditional middle-class homemaking practices with recognizable items like ornate candlesticks, antique furniture, and traces of floral lace. They also suggest caregiving of both the young and the old with materials such as plush toys and medical socks. But as much as the home is a site for labor, its enclosure offers a site for private pleasure. Swaths of fuzzy synthetic fabric in candy colors elicit the desire to caress, evoking both children’s stuffed animals and the fur of erogenous body parts. Drips of white fluid complement bulging biomorphic forms rendered in metallic spandex and stuffed pantyhose. Sensuous, bodily enjoyment exceeds desires for respectability. Domina takes on another valence.