At the risk of sounding embittered...
A caveat: i currently have work in a group show at the Bromfield Gallery, entitled "A Woman's Place". The show features female artists whose work addresses the notion of "a woman's place": psychologically, physically, sexually, politically... you get it. This show holds the unique distinction (for me personally) of being the first group show in which i am proud to be showing with ALL of the included artists. Overall, the included work is of a high quality, both technically and conceptually. Of course, these are my *personal* opinions.
A slight detour: i have a complex relationship with Feminism (as i believe anyone who claims to be a "Feminist" should). i try to curb knee-jerk feminist reactions to a variety of things without first doing my research; i do not automatically assume that all porn depicts rape; i do not think the male gender is my enemy; i shave my legs and sometimes even wear bras... you get the idea. That said, i do make art focused on media portrayals of women and young girls. And i do so, not because i am a rabid feminazi looking for the next testicle to rip off and clinging desperately to out-dated "issues" in order to direct my rage at *something*, but because I perceive my chosen subject to be both resonant and kaleidoscopic in it's ramifications. i make art about women and young girls because i personally have something to say about it. And, at the risk of sounding self-congratulatory: my work seems to provoke thought in a number of people, so the topic must resonate with others the way that it resonates with me.
My point: The Boston Globe reviewed "A Woman's Place" yesterday. Quoth the female reviewer, Ms. Cate McQuaid, "It's not that women's issues don't need to be voiced, but in the last 10 or 20 years, the art world has hardly ignored those issues. It's redundant to make a special show for them." Oh. Well Ms. McQuaid, allow me to point out just a few of the other "issues" that the art world has "hardly ignored" in the last 10-20 years: race relations, multiculturalism, ancient civilizations, and of course, globalization. While we're at it, why don't we also throw in several concepts that the art world has "hardly ignored": color theory, abstraction, surrealism, and the Boston gallery favorite, still life. Funny, but i don't hear anyone screaming redundancy at the latest Venice Biennale, in which nearly every artist explored notions of globalization and race relations. Additionally, i've heard few cry redundancy in reference to any of the numerous Abstract Expressionist retrospectives of late. Ancient Greece isn't any less interesting or relevant, just because every museum in the country has a section devoted to it. We're certainly not at risk of learning less about their culture -or any culture, for that matter - because a wealth of people explore it. The color of our skin no longer determines which drinking fountains we may visit, yet the amount of art (documentary and otherwise) made about race relations is hardly "redundant", despite all of our advances and all of the attention the topic has garnered in galleries and elsewhere. Similarly, women are no longer burning our bras, fighting to join the workforce, or lobbying for equal pay for equal work (well, for the most part anyway), but the equality of women in society is still a relevant issue. If all artists followed Ms. McQuaid's logic, we would certainly miss out on a number of new perspectives on "redundant" issues that face our society - you know, the ones that, for all of their "redundancy", still make us uncomfortable and force us to do a little self-exploration.
A slight detour: i have a complex relationship with Feminism (as i believe anyone who claims to be a "Feminist" should). i try to curb knee-jerk feminist reactions to a variety of things without first doing my research; i do not automatically assume that all porn depicts rape; i do not think the male gender is my enemy; i shave my legs and sometimes even wear bras... you get the idea. That said, i do make art focused on media portrayals of women and young girls. And i do so, not because i am a rabid feminazi looking for the next testicle to rip off and clinging desperately to out-dated "issues" in order to direct my rage at *something*, but because I perceive my chosen subject to be both resonant and kaleidoscopic in it's ramifications. i make art about women and young girls because i personally have something to say about it. And, at the risk of sounding self-congratulatory: my work seems to provoke thought in a number of people, so the topic must resonate with others the way that it resonates with me.
My point: The Boston Globe reviewed "A Woman's Place" yesterday. Quoth the female reviewer, Ms. Cate McQuaid, "It's not that women's issues don't need to be voiced, but in the last 10 or 20 years, the art world has hardly ignored those issues. It's redundant to make a special show for them." Oh. Well Ms. McQuaid, allow me to point out just a few of the other "issues" that the art world has "hardly ignored" in the last 10-20 years: race relations, multiculturalism, ancient civilizations, and of course, globalization. While we're at it, why don't we also throw in several concepts that the art world has "hardly ignored": color theory, abstraction, surrealism, and the Boston gallery favorite, still life. Funny, but i don't hear anyone screaming redundancy at the latest Venice Biennale, in which nearly every artist explored notions of globalization and race relations. Additionally, i've heard few cry redundancy in reference to any of the numerous Abstract Expressionist retrospectives of late. Ancient Greece isn't any less interesting or relevant, just because every museum in the country has a section devoted to it. We're certainly not at risk of learning less about their culture -or any culture, for that matter - because a wealth of people explore it. The color of our skin no longer determines which drinking fountains we may visit, yet the amount of art (documentary and otherwise) made about race relations is hardly "redundant", despite all of our advances and all of the attention the topic has garnered in galleries and elsewhere. Similarly, women are no longer burning our bras, fighting to join the workforce, or lobbying for equal pay for equal work (well, for the most part anyway), but the equality of women in society is still a relevant issue. If all artists followed Ms. McQuaid's logic, we would certainly miss out on a number of new perspectives on "redundant" issues that face our society - you know, the ones that, for all of their "redundancy", still make us uncomfortable and force us to do a little self-exploration.