Since the 1990s, the figure of the little girl has remained a focus of Los Angeles-based Kim Dingle’s multimedia artworks. Female children appear dressed as ideals of femininity in frilly dresses, socks, and dainty shoes, but are presented as uninhibited forces of nature, engaging in bizarre scenes of power and violence. In Rock, the wild-haired child raises a stone above her head, staring down fixedly at her target. The sketchy white outlines of the little girl’s chubby legs and Mary Jane shoes are offset by the tonal painting of her torso, head, and the rock above. The impending violent action fills the scene with suspense, undercutting notions of childhood innocence. Kim Dingle’s work can be found in collections across the US, including the Whitney Museum; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco.
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