Nelly McKay would make a great guest on The O Show. Maybe one day...
for our freedom years is a reaction to women's 'culture', to the idea that as women we share the same ideals, beliefs, ethos and problems, fundamentally the same identity. An identity that is expected and in many cases embraced by many females in mainstream society. We would like to invite you to give a talk at our exhibition in relation to themes addressed within the show and how they not only relate to your practice but your own positioning of yourself as a ‘modern’ woman. The event/talk can be given in any way you like, whether it be a performance or a seminar.
The the exhibition will run from 28 October to 11 November. The show will be held at Townhouse Gallery, an antique shop and gallery set within a Georgian house which we will take over. The show will also be a part of Photomonth and Time Outs First Thursdays.
Video and more info to follow about the piece I performed...
My mom sent me an article this morning which lead me to click on this relatively recent interview with Gloria Steinem. I was intrigued by the the host Marlo's nose-job and the rinky-dink set-up of this low-fi chat show. Maybe there's a model for 'The O Show' here. Also of interest is Steinem's 1992 book Revolution from Within: A Book of Self Esteem which has "passages that come dangerously close to the banalities and pseudo-spiritualism of the self-help manual". Sounds like a must-read.
Notes:
Denes, M., 2005, 'Feminism? It's hardly begun', The Guardian, 17 January.
More photos from ICA performance of Impenetrable Power of The Phallic Matron, 20 May 2011.
The bra-burning, peace-offering moment of the performance (following swiftly after the bikini-competition and question round) is a mini-homage to the New York Radical women who carried out the same protest action at The Miss America Pageant in 1968. The mirror reflection of the goddess of love's visage in Velazquez's Rokeby Venus (1649-51) was painted purposely blurry and vague by the artist who didn't want to pin-down the specifics of the ideal face. Venus is rendered anonymous. I've undone this by literally stabbing Sarah Palin's face onto the surface of the mirror as the culmination of my performance. Photos: jimbanks.info
Oriana Fox, Impenetrable Power
Bob and Roberta Smith: Women Should Be In Charge
20 May 2011
Join us to celebrate powerful female voices from the worlds of art, music and politics with a day and night of free talks, screenings, live editions, performance, music and workshops, curated by Bob & Roberta Smith.
From midday, learn about Bob & Roberta Smith’s work at our Culture Now talk, see the artist make unique art works at our first ever live edition event and watch screenings in the ICA Gallery.
The evening’s entertainment begins with a panel discussion on Esther’s Law, a new law based on Jacob Epstein’s sculpture of his teenage daughter which suggests society should create a truly representative political system in parliament with 50% female. In the ICA Bar there is a Feminist Icon Fanzine workshop, plus live art and music from Oriana, Denise, the Dark Hearts, Tim Sidall and others in the Theatre.
Presented in association with Home Live Art. All events are free. Booking is required for Culture Now.
I just attended a short seminar on Feminist Art Manifestos led by Katy Deepwell at the ICA. The list of Feminist (Art) Manifestos she presented is long and makes evident the varying and often contradictory definitions of feminism and feminist art there are in existence. The ideas put forward within these texts are as diverse as their authors, therefore the strategies advocated therein are equally varied. After reading through excerpts from numerous texts, Deepwell suggested that as we continue our research into this phenomenon and read these texts in greater depth, it is useful to question who is being defined as the enemy and who is described as a friend to the cause.
See n.paradoxa's website to find links to feminist manifestos available online.