Avant-Garde of the 1970's Feminist Exhibition - Photographers Gallery

"Focusing on photographs, collage works, performances, films and videos produced throughout the 1970s, the exhibition reflects a moment during which practices of emancipation, gender equality and civil rights protest movements became part of public discourse. Operating across the public and personal realms – as well as using their own bodies as central motifs – these artists sought to address broad political issues and confront patriarchy and sexism in art and society. In doing so they created new, positively assertive female identities."

Gabriele Schor

Here I have included a few sneaky photographs I took of the Avant-Garde of the 1970's Feminist Exhibition at the Photographers Gallery. I took photographs of the pieces that really drew my attention throughout the exhibition. 

Untitled 1978 - Margot Pilz

Margot Pilz's Untitled, To me this piece appears to represent electroshock therapy which is a form of medical treatment still used today but used to be used to treat women with homosexuality and hysteria as well as many other modern psychiatric abnormalities. But I thought this was about treating homosexuality changing the gender preference of the patient. Which is well displayed here. But after some research I found it is supposed to shine a spotlight on the patriarchal structure of the family and the difference between the genders. The artist is seated on a chair while her husband is supposedly hoovering behind her although it is unclear to see. Also unclear is her son at her feet that eventually consumes her and fills the chair.

Some Living American Woman Artists / Last Supper 1972 - Mary Beth Edelson

I enjoyed this piece as I felt it was very self explanatory. Combining 'Some Living American Woman Artists'  with Leonardo Da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'. It has been subsequently manipulated to overwrite the male dominant history of art. I found this quite ironic that she just used a male piece of art work and put woman in it to display this but the piece made me laugh. Not at the work but at the idea that Jesus and all his disciples are displayed as woman because that would never happen in history up until about now is the only time that it would be socially acceptable to create a piece of artwork like this so in the early 70's this would have been very radical.

High-rise (No.1), 1974 Renate Eisenegger

This piece stood out to me as it really made me think about the stereotypical female role working on her hands and knees cleaning. However she is ironing the floor. either portraying woman are stupid or that she has gone over board on cleaning and ironing her whole house. The use of the mask is interesting as it removes her personally from the work and make sit more of a stereotype of any woman. She has displayed a 4 part photograph series of her performance piece of moving along a long corridor in a crouched position, ironing smooth linoleum flooring. The emptiness of the corridor represents the emptiness of the woman in the stereotype.

Left - Eleanor Antin, Representational Painting 1971
Right - Annegret Soltau, Erinnerung (Detail) 1980

I am unable to find Eleanor Antin's Representational Painting video shown here on the left. But it I remember thinking how much more Annegret Soltau's video on the right caught my eye. But I did enjoy how these were displayed. Four video performance piece in a cube on the same size television with the same headset (if required) for the sound and seat directly in front of them so you could really engage yourself in the piece. I chose to engage myself in Annegret Soltau's Erinnerung (Detail) 1980 Video. The headphones made it even more personal and engaging. Unfortunately she was speaking in German and I could not understand her. But her voice was very earthy and unedited as if she was talking right in your ear. I found it very hard to find any information at all on this piece except the video even in the programme from the exhibition only her most famous piece (Self, 1975) was spoken about describing it as her Hallmark.
In the video she was laid on the floor in a fetal-like position whilst black string was laid atop of her from outside the cameras reach. It was laid in rows about 20cm from each one slowly consuming her. I think it would be interesting to remove her paint covered body from the image and just see how the string portrays her. But it's a beautiful piece and very modest and subtle. I only wish I could understand it further with a translation of her words. 

Sculpture #2 1968 - Kirsten Justesen

This piece stood out the most as it was the only piece on this floor that was 3D even though the photograph itself isn't 3D it is displayed in such an intriguing way unlike all the other pieces in the room. It's very minimalistic yet so powerful. Having the piece presented on the gallery floor gives it a very accessible feel. it doesn't have a velvet rope around it. it's just a box and they belong on a floor. The photograph of the naked woman on top of the box gives the impression she is inside the box. Her message of objectification and entrapment come across very easily. Years of the female figure being entrapped and encased by social media and art history. It's a very powerful and self explanatory piece.

As you can see I have shown my interest in 5 pieces out of 150 works displayed by 48 feminist artists. As a whole I was quite disappointed with this exhibition. I wouldn't call myself an anti-feminist because I agree with the points these artists are making especially in the 70's, and before when we were a lot less equal then we are today but the way some of these artists go about showing these important points are simply vulgar and crude. Having a graphic photograph of a bloody tampon being removed from a vagina, to me gives feminists a bad name and these artists I have photographed displayed the real issues of feminism in a much more subtle yet strong way really making you think about the piece rather than being repulsed by it. I'm not dismissing this as art because in the act of making me repulsed makes this a strong piece but automatically making this fall into the stereotypical view of feminist art.