By snoadmin
Feminist art has re-emerged from its slumber and taken its place as a prominent force in art with the opening of the “WACK! Art and the Feminist revolution” exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in downtown Los Angeles at the Contemporary Geffen, located on Grand Avenue.
The exhibit skillfully shows the breadth and depth of women’s struggles and issues. It varies from the incredibly introspective (a video of a frustrated woman brushing her hair) to broader topics (a framed collage of archaic, painful-looking beauty treatments).
“WACK!” has several themes: the goddess, gender performance, patterns and assemblage, body trauma, autophotography, making art history, speaking in public, silence and noise, female sensibility, abstraction, gender space, collective impulse, social sculpture, knowledge as power, body as medium, labor and family stories.
The exhibit’s focus is art from the second wave of feminism between the mid-’60s until the early-’80s and is heavily focused on film and video media. Among the videos at the MOCA is one that consists of interviews with a group of young women between the ages of nine and 13 who talk candidly about how they learned about things like menstruation and what one “can do as a girl.”
Other videos include one of a woman talking to her daughter about why she killed her husband. Another video is of a demure geisha gracefully dancing with an umbrella with the image of a strange naked man dancing oddly superimposed over the geisha.
Among the more abstract pieces present at “WACK!” is a tiny room covered in a crocheted material, with the walls painted black meant to give the feeling of a womb. Further away is a large, perfectly square room made from mattresses with a video and sitting room inside.
Among the photography in the showcase is a series of photos of women wearing faux horsetails being trotted around on display in front of a crowd. There’s also a series of pictures called “Interior Scroll” in which a woman is shown first in nude with only an apron on, then standing on a table pulling the scroll from her vagina and reading it. The scroll is also on display.
Even some black feminist art is on display, adding another dimension of depth and complexity to the exhibit and ideas of what it means to be a woman and minority. Unfortunately, the number of these works could be counted on one hand. Out of 119 artists from 21 countries, one would expect more diversity and coverage of female-related issues.
For other kinds of exhibits with these kinds of graphic nudity and sexuality, I would encourage the squeamish to avoid going. But “WACK!” was organized precisely for those who might feel uncomfortable. It challenges many of the prevailing attitudes about what it means to be a woman and, more importantly, what it means to be a feminist. “WACK!” takes feminism away from the stigma of being a movement of angry lesbians and instead casts it in the light of something that is understandable and easy for all women to relate to.
The best description of the exhibit was captured in a video installation by a French artist, who in her short film said the “epoch of art was when art was anonymous.” This exhibit fully incorporates this mantra, focusing more on concepts and the movement in general than the individual artists and their talent. Visitors are treated with beautiful, thought-provoking art that proves art hasn’t lost its social conscience.
Strangely juxtaposed to “WACK!” is the art of ReadyMade magazine contributor Andrea Zittel in her exhibit “Andrea Zittel: Critical Space.” While “WACK!” is a collection of art that challenges and attempts to break away from stereotypes and the limits placed on women, Zittel instead works within limited spaces and tries to make the most of what’s already there.
On one of the walls of Zittel’s exhibit titled “These Things I Know For Sure” was a motto to the effect of: “if you can’t change the thing, change the way you think about the thing” – a motto most feminists would say works against creating lasting social change.
Zittel, who at one time in her life lived in a 200-square-foot space, is known for her skill in creating living environments that work within confined spaces and is focused on reducing amenities and “necessities” to the bare minimum.
Her exhibit included two small, pod-like trailers with one resembling a pool and the other a lounging area with a radio and speakers, a small shelf about the size of a soap dish and a sky blue lining that resembled a pleasant, cozy coffin.
Combined, the two exhibits display the various ends of the art spectrum and provide visitors with a full picture of the plethora of art that is available, even if the themes are conflicting. Anyone who appreciates social commentary and wants to see these things demonstrated visually will appreciate both exhibits.
