Feminist Avant-Garde of the 1970s at Photographers’ Gallery. Works from the Verbund collection. And Simon Fujiwara: Joanne.

More than 200 works from 48 international artists. “…radical, poetic, ironic and often provocative investigations by women artists who challenge assumptions about gender and art. …themes such as the politicisation of domestic and public space, the canonisation of ‘male’ art history, feminine identities, gender roles and sexual politics.” The exhibition had 4 parts: 1) Domestic agenda – about stereotypes of a woman’s place being ‘in the home’; 2) In my skin – attitudes towards beauty and the female body; 3) Alter ego – self-representation, gender identity; 4) The Seductive body – oppression of female sexuality, sexual objectification of women. I have to note that this exhibition was partly historical, partly political and only partly artistic, however, it was definitely more meaningful and closer to the art sphere than efforts of Guerilla Girls. The exhibition mainly consisted of photographs but there were also some videos and printed materials. Many of these works were repetitive, similar to each other, others were toothless (if the goal was to stand for womens’ rights, it was not reached), and some were plain disgusting or pointless. Nevertheless I appreciate the value of this exhibition as a whole and some works were visually acceptable, ironic, witty and meaningful at the same time. One of them, for example, was a set of photographs where the artist had dressed herself in different ways showing stereotypical roles of a female person in the society. In the description of her work she concluded that she cannot be in any of these roles because she is an individual person. This idea is the same that I have always had with regard to myself – I do not accept being put in ‘boxes’ or ‘shelves’ as I do not fit any of them and usually prefer to freely move from one to another if I decide or just to stand somewhere in between or outside of everything. Another artwork was another set of photographs showing a woman greeting different people. She was standing in a gallery with her mouth sealed by adhesive tape and an amplifier transmitting her heartbeat into the gallery area as she met the visitors one by one. The day after these encounters the photographs were put on the walls, each accompanied with the corresponding audiotape that can be played back by the audience during the exhibition. My opinion is that such a ‘project’ is very individual and in some sense intimate as it shows how a person reacts to other people and not just from outside. We hear and can analyse what happens inside this person, something that we usually do not know and cannot know.

”Joanne” was about a beauty queen, art teacher and boxer who was involved in a scandal after her topless photographs were discovered by her students. After this event she has started to build a new public image for herself. I think that there are many people who have had their traumas in life and to show one person whose experience is not unique, nor inspiring is a waste of time and resources. Such project can be interesting for Joanne herself to ‘wash’ her reputation after what has happened and of course it is interesting to the author of the video who is a young and hopeful artist and tries to do something in the art sphere. But is it all together something that will stay in the memory of exhibition visitors for more than a few days or weeks? It is not.

Feminism and art is like oil and water. Seems to be an interesting idea to mix them but in the end they do not mix. Feminism is too political like many other ‘-isms’ and is unable to stay truly artistic, truly creative and long-lasting. Feminist artists are so blinded by their feministic goals to be heard, respected etc. that their artworks lose the artistic value or are born completely without it. Which is sad but inevitable.