Dowling’s work You are your own voyeur takes its title from a quote by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and is inspired by French philosopher Michel Foucault’s concept of the internal panopticon. Foucault argued that the architecture of a panopticon (a circular prison with a central watchtower where inmates can be seen at all times) is a metaphor for the way that societies condition us to internalise the disciplinary gaze and regulate our actions to conform to societal expectations. The result is self-surveillance through external conditioning.
This metaphor also applies to the way that from an early age girls are taught to view, present and police themselves for the ever-present male gaze. Both Atwood and British art critic John Berger posit that the male gaze is so ingrained that instead of needing an external watcher, a woman becomes her own critic. She constantly monitors and judges her own appearance, behavior, and worth. She becomes her own voyeur.
You are your own voyeur, 2026, hand embroidery, cotton thread and acrylic paint on vintage linen doily, 32 x 31 x 4cm (framed), photos by Tobias Titz
