Art and Feminism

Description

In the late 1960s feminism exploded into popular consciousness. As women began to carve their own spaces in politics and the workplace, so too they demanded to enter art history - where traditionally they had chiefly featured as anonymous bodily subjects of art produced, patronized, collected and theorized by men. Indeed most feminist art until the late 1970s was preoccupied with re-presenting the female body, ranging from the guerilla street actions of Valie Export to the naked performances of Hannah Wilke, to Ana Mendieta's outlines of absent female bodies in the landscape. The emerging debates surrounding new feminist art were fiercely discussed: should women artists compete with men or exclude them? Is the naked female body, even in feminist artists' performances, still an objectification of women? From the 1960s to the millennium, "Art and Feminism" traces the changing art practices, art historical debates, manifestos, challenges, rediscoveries and reawakenings that characterize the dynamic, continuing dialogue between feminism and contemporary art. "Art and Feminism" explores the spaces "between" feminism and art, uncovering a shifting, reciprocal relationship. Accessibly and comprehensively ranging across the whole spectrum of art practice and theory, this volume includes the key texts of each period, ranging from the polemics of Germaine Greer and Valerie Solanas to definitions of new artforms by Lucy R. Lippard, to Laura Mulvey's influential film theory, to Craig Owen's Postmodern criticism, as well as rare original artists' statements and reviews. The diverse range of artists featured includes Laurie Anderson, Vanessa Beecroft, Louise Bourgeois, Sophie Calle, Marlene Dumas, Tracey Emin, Coco Fusco, Nan Goldin, Mona Hatoum, Jenny Holzer, Rebecca Horn, Barbara Kruger, Yayoi Kusama, Shirin Neshat, Yoko Ono, Adrian Piper, Pipilotti Rist, Jenny Saville, Carolee Schneemann, Rosemarie Trockel, Gillian Wearing and many others.

Helena Reckitt is an independent writer and arts organizer with a longstanding critical research interest in feminist art and theory. A former commissioning editor at Routledge, and head of talks at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, Reckitt is currently Director of Education at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Georgia. She was co-editor, with Joel Oppenheimer, of Acting on AIDS: Sex, Drugs, and Politics (1998) and curated the exhibition 'Found Wanting' (Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Georgia, 2000) Editor's Residence: Atlanta, Georgia Survey Author Details Peggy Phelan is among the best-known contemporary feminist theorists, who has written extensively on visual arts and performance from feminist psychoanalytic perspectives. Phelan is Professor of Performance Studies at the Tisch School of the Arts. New York University. She is the author of Unmarked: The Politics of Performance (1993), Mourning Sex (1997) and Death Rehearsals: Andy Warhol, Ronald Reagan and Death in America (2000), and co-editor of Acting Out: Feminist Performances (1993) and The Ends of Performance (1998) Survey Author's Residence: New York

'Beautifully designed, it is the first fully illustrated, comprehensive survey of key feminist works and texts.' The Art Newspaper, September 2002 'a handsome, meaty book which provides an excellent overview of the influence of feminist theory and politics on four decades of women artists. - wide-ranging, well researched - a significant resource - the curators of the book make startling and informative connections - the sheer heft of lavishly produced images will be indispensable to scholars, critics and artists.' Art Monthly, November 2001 'immensely important - a valuable resource for students and all others interested in the topic.' Contemporary, January 2002 'excellent - a superb resume' Time Out, August 2001 'Long overdue - an indispensable read for everyone' i-D, September 2001 'highlights the richness, complexity and importance of the feminist movement in generating art of every conceivable form and medium.' The Art Newspaper, September 2001