Course

GRD-325: Graphic Design Studio

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

Spring 2026

Disciplines

Description, Abstract, or Artist's Statement

Over the past year, my research into the story of Agamemnon has shifted the way I understand Clytemnestra. Rather than seeing her only as a calculated murderer, I have come to view her first as a grieving mother. This perspective matters because it challenges how women’s emotions, particularly grief and anger, are often minimized, dismissed, or reframed as irrational. In many interpretations, Clytemnestra’s violence is emphasized while the profound loss that precedes it is overlooked. By centering her grief, this poster reconsiders the motivations behind her actions and questions the narratives that define her. Agamemnon’s sacrifice of Iphigenia reveals a system in which women’s lives are subordinated to male ambition. As both a father and a king, he chooses war and personal glory over his daughter’s life, asserting control over both Iphigenia’s body and Clytemnestra’s role as a mother. His departure for Troy immediately after the sacrifice leaves Clytemnestra to endure the emotional consequences alone. This abandonment reflects a broader pattern in which women are expected to carry grief in isolation, their suffering rendered invisible while men pursue power and recognition. This idea is visually explored through the poster's dual representation of Clytemnestra. The central, standing figure—outlined in red and holding a knife—represents how she is publicly perceived: composed, powerful, and transgressive. Her back is turned to the viewer, creating a sense of emotional distance and suggesting the suppression of her grief beneath a controlled exterior. In contrast, the faint, kneeling figure beneath her represents her internal reality. Collapsed in anguish, this version of Clytemnestra is less visible, reflecting how women’s emotional pain is often obscured or ignored, even when it is central to their experience. This tension connects to broader gendered perceptions of violence. As Salma Deera writes, “You want to know the logic behind my actions? here is one explanation: call me by a man's name instead of a woman's, and suddenly every horrific thing I've done, makes me a hero.” This statement highlights the disparity in how violence is interpreted depending on gender. Male violence is often framed as justified or heroic, while female violence is condemned and pathologized. Clytemnestra’s actions disrupt expectations of femininity, contributing to her portrayal as monstrous rather than as a figure shaped by trauma and loss. Ultimately, this poster reframes Clytemnestra not simply as a perpetrator of violence, but as a woman defined by grief, injustice, and the consequences of patriarchal power. By emphasizing her identity as a mother and foregrounding her emotional experience, the piece invites viewers to reconsider how narratives of violence are constructed and whose suffering is acknowledged. In doing so, it challenges the tendency to separate action from context and encourages a more empathetic understanding of figures who have historically been reduced to symbols of transgression.

Comments

1st Place Winner, Creative Expression, 2026