Mariana Malta

I am a Fashion Designer, a Multimedia Artist and a Vulnerable Superhero.

My process re-appropriates areas and imagery of the body which would traditionally be deemed taboo, undesirable or a source of shame, vulnerability and insecurity, to reimagine and contextualise them through a “bittersweet” aesthetic lens of emotional ambivalence. I’m interested in the particularly complex emotion characterised by tension and conflict that is felt when someone experiences both positive and negative emotions simultaneously, which ultimately is inherent to human nature.

I use my body as a portal, as a case study. My work is a cathartic experience, a way of recording and analysing my journey with my body and the full spectrum of myself, so I can then share my journey with others. The garment becomes a therapeutic space to embrace and live this experience, symbiotic in nature and a catalyst for sensuality and truthfulness. 

“It’s not a question of what we do alone, it is a question of how acutely and fully we can feel in the doing, once we know the extent to which we can feel that sense of satisfaction, fullness, completion, we can understand which of our various life endeavours brings us closest to that sense of fullness. Any woman with that empowerment is dangerous.” (Audrey Lorde)

When all of your walls crack down you’re left with nothing but insecurities and fears. That was all I had when I felt the urge of starting this journey. A journey that began during my time at CSM, when I was trying to understand how to love my body and how to own my sensuality. Having grown up with a very strong latin influence, I had too many preconceived ideas of what sensuality and beauty looked like, and I had been caged by it. 

During my time at the RCA, my work has been exploring the relationship between my body and the body of others, particularly in moments of intimacy. Understanding how the way I see my body influences my relationship with the world around me.

I have been investigating the psychological side of sensuality, understanding how much performance plays into the perception of the sensual and the beautiful. How does our own experience relate to the way we perceive attraction? How narrow is the space between feeling drawn or repulsed by something? Is sensuality constructed or authentic? Isn’t authenticity directly linked to vulnerability? Is vulnerability directly connected to sensuality?

When it comes to materiality, at the RCA I was able to further explore and refine my work with silicone, that for me has the ability to portray the elasticity of the skin, to blur the lines between garment and body. That is my main focus of investigation. I wish to create a continuous dialogue between body and garment, a space where one depends on the other to be made sense of, to “exist”. I have developed corsetry fully made in silicone, as well as moulded pieces and lace. 

This project, entitled “VULNERABLE SUPERHERO”, explores the tension between conflicting selves. It’s about acknowledging that as ever-evolving beings, we are in a continuum of change, influenced by who we were in the past, who we believe we are now and who we wish to be, and that these different versions of ourselves exist simultaneously. 

There is always a sense of moving forward while being held back, but we are powerful in that state. The more we embrace the full spectrum of our being, the parts we deem shameful, the more vulnerable we feel, but true power comes from embracing our vulnerabilities, our imperfect humanity.