Faith
Gardner lives in Oakland, and has work in or forthcoming in Word Riot,
Defenestration and PANK. Find
her online at faithgardner.com.
stare.
Boundaries/
borders constructed by human beings intrigue me. Walls and windows are
symbols demarcating “public” and “private”
life, keeping us separate from those who threaten and annoy us. But in
reality no window or wall can keep someone out who wants in. This is an
uncomfortable and inevitable truth we often choose to ignore.
Here, I tried to paint a moment where a woman is confronted by this
truth. She experiences a touchless form of victimization by simply
having her apartment entered and being watched by a strange pair of
eyes. A gaze alone can be very violating under certain circumstances.