Tequila Bottle

Kayla Pears is an acrylic painter whose work explores the complex relationship between bodies, femininity, sexuality, and the everyday moments of life. She captures scenes that draw from the mundane, yet hold deep emotional and symbolic weight.

Having been influenced by her own experiences with body image, she is particularly interested in how our bodies are shaped by, and in turn shape, the lives we lead. Pears’ work is a reflection on how these interactions are often unseen yet hold immense power in shaping identity, relationships, and self-perception.

Kayla Pears’ collection “Bottles”, examines the alcohol bottle as both a physical object and a symbol of contradiction in our lives. Through this collection, Pears’ explores how these vessels influence self-perception, shape our view of others, and serve as mirrors for our inner states.

Bottles represent rituals of joy. They mark weddings, birthdays, promotions, and reunions. They are raised in toasts, exchanged in camaraderie, and etched into the iconography of celebration. Yet, just as often, they accompany sorrow. Behind closed doors, they bring grief, conflict, and personal unravelling. Each piece in the series highlights this tension. By presenting bottles in varied states, I aim to capture their shifting symbolism and the fragile line between control and chaos.

Pears invites the viewer to question how we define joy, how we cope with pain, and how something as ordinary as a bottle can hold so much of what makes us human.