Post 4: Can you name 5 women artists?

After reviewing exhibitions that have been affiliated with the Elizabeth Sackler museum, I chose 4 of them who had been displayed. One artist I chose is well known but was not listed through the museum. All of these women artists address gender in a variety of ways. The artists have a variety of backgrounds which reflects how different they interpret gender.

Judy Chicago was born in 1939 and is based out of Chicago, Illinois. Chicago is a long-standing feminist and her work strongly reflects that. Gender, preferably women, are the subjects of her work. One piece that she is famous for is “Dinner Party”. This piece was started in 1974 and finished in 1979. (“Judy Chicago”). There are dozens and dozens of place settings, in the shape of a big triangle. The place settings start fairly flat, then become more and more sculptural and three dimensional. The place settings that have sculpture strong resemble the female form of the vagina. Politicians quickly grew uncomfortable after viewing the exhibition due to their patriarchy. It was then stated that the piece is pornographic and must be taken off exhibition. The piece was then put into storage until the Elizabeth Sackler Museum put it on permanent display. With old views as seeing the work at pornographic shows how gender is a big deal in art. Judy Chicago had no problem with the female form, and neither did men with painting nudes until it was something more up close and personal. How else could we expect straight, white men to be okay with viewing anything resembling the vagina without breasts attached? Judy Chicago continually challenges gender throughout her entire career as a feminist, and an educator.

"Dinner Party" Virginia Woolf's setting. Judy Chicago, 1974-1979.

"Dinner Party" Judy Chicago, 1974-1979.

Maria Friberg is a Swedish based artist born in 1966 and still continues her career. Friberg is another artist who works a lot with bending gender roles. In the piece, “Driven”, she works with Monika Larsen Dennis. “Driven” is a 4 minute and 30 seconds, silent film done in 1998. When viewing this you can see that it is two individuals, dressed in grey suits. It is unclear about the gender although the fingers are painted on one individual.The androgyny is a deliberate point made by both of the artists. In the video, these individuals are pushing an and pulling each other in a choreographed manner. As described on the Brooklyn Museum website, it is almost “dream like”. The choreography reflects inner desires that pushes and pulls an individual. This film has been shown in the Elizabeth Sackler Museum in Brooklyn as well. Friberg believes gender to be something important in her work and even states about gender in her biography. When looking at the artists as partners in art, “They share a common interest in exploring -and confusing- gender roles, or any other given set of rules for that matter” (Brooklyn Museum).

"Driven" Maria Friberg, 1998.  

Mary Coble is a very notable artist who was born in North Carolina and currently works in Sweden. Mary identifies as a lesbian. Due to her sexual orientation, Coble tries to represent the queer or LGBTQ community throughout her films, performance pieces and photography. One piece that has been displayed at the Brooklyn Museum is “Binding Ritual, Daily Routine” which was done in 2004/2005. This was a performance and installation exhibit of the artist herself. This showed how Coble would bind her chest and the performance was her taking off the binding and putting it back on repeatedly for 90 minutes. “This piece speaks to the emotional and physical pain that many transgender people may feel on a daily basis. (Brooklyn Museum). This is a progressive piece that speaks a lot for the LGBTQ community. This represents gender in a big way by defying what the gender norms are expected to be for women. Some women are trans and identify as a man. This is different in the heteronormative society that we live in. Coble’s work revolves a lot around gender and is inspiring for those who can closely identify with her work.

Untitled from "Binding Ritual, Daily Routine" Mary Coble, 2005.

Cindy Sherman is a well known photographer who was born in 1964 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. She is NYC and Jersey based and still continues her career. Her photographs are of herself but are not considered self portraits (Cindy Sherman). These photographs vary in settings and placements, but all represent the “modern” woman. After moving to New York City, and being stuck in her apartment, this is when Sherman decided to start working with photographs. In 1977 a series of photographs, “Untitled” film stills were produced. “Untitled Film Still #3” (1977) was a famous photograph from the series. It portrays a woman standing at a kitchens sink, but washing dishes. She has her hands propped up on the counter and is looking behind or to the side of her. You can get an eery feeling from this work, almost like she is in danger. Sherman portrays gender through a different way in her photographs. This woman is in her kitchen, where everyone says a woman should be in. But the look on her face, shows one of fear. This could be compared to domestic abuse at home. In a hypothetical situation, a woman who is a housewife but her husband abuses her so she watches everything around her.

"Untitled Film Still 3" Cindy Sherman, 1977.

Last, but not least we have He Chengyao. She is an artist born in China who currently lives in Beijing. She is an active feminist through her work. She has had her art shown throughout a few countries in Asia and specifically in the Brooklyn Museum. One set of photographs that have been featured in Brooklyn is called “Testimony”. This exhibit was made in 2001/2002. The first picture has an elderly woman, topless, with a young topless woman behind her. The second picture has the young topless woman with a young boy behind her. The last photograph is a young boy by himself. This piece addresses gender by how the individuals are placed and by how everyone is topless. I find this exhibit harder to interpret than others but it speaks volumes for itself.

"Testimony" He Chengyao, 2001-2002.

"Biography - Cindy Sherman - Photographer, Model, Director, Actor, Avant-Garde Images, Doll Parts and Prosthetics, Movies." Biography - Cindy Sherman - Photographer, Model, Director, Actor, Avant-Garde Images, Doll Parts and Prosthetics, Movies. Web. 9 Apr. 2015. <http://www.cindysherman.com/biography.shtml>.

"Collections: Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art: Testimony." Brooklyn Museum: Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art: Testimony. Brooklyn Museum. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/5025/Testimony>.

"Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art: Feminist Art Base: Maria Friberg." Brooklyn Museum:. Brooklyn Museum. Web. 9 Apr. 2015. <http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/feminist_art_base/gallery/mariafriberg.php?i=1138>.

"Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art: Feminist Art Base: Mary Coble." Brooklyn Museum:. Brooklyn Museum. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/feminist_art_base/gallery/mary_coble.php?i=2305>.

"Judy Chicago." Bio » About ». Web. 12 Apr. 2015. <http://www.judychicago.com/about/bio.php>.