Bright and graphic illustrations, installations on bathroom politics, and back-page comics for the fabulous Shameless mag? Artist Coco Riot does it all!
The first week of the new year brought with it the passing of Eve Arnold, one of the first women to earn recognition as a photojournalist in the mid-twentieth century. Though she is perhaps best known for capturing celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Joan Crawford in rare, unguarded moments, Arnold should also be recognized for the political and social commentaries her archives provide.
I can't believe it's the end of my guest blog series already. Looking at he theme of art and feminism has raised loads of questions and also given lots of answers. We've explored artists who use hair and those who've experienced domestic violence, the woman who got a vaginal Damien Hirst tattoo, and the countless murdered and attacked females in Juarez, Mexico, who have been immortalized through the exhibition 400 Women. It's powerful stuff...
When I started this guest blog I was overwhelmed with your brilliant suggestions for artists to explore, and I followed up on as many of your tips as possible. Here is a taste of what Bitch readers recommend—I hope you'll discover someone who inspires you!
For me, art isn't just about finding something pretty or intelligent, or wishing I could paint as well as someone else. It's about looking at a piece and knowing that it's taught you something and you feel better for having seen it. You understand the world a little better afterwards, and you can't wait to rave about it to your friends. Here are three lessons I've learned from artists that I'd like to pass on:
In a game of word association, "art" might make people think of paintings, sketches, canvases or a specific artist like Jackson Pollock (paint splatters, oh my) or the Mona Lisa (very tiny, strange smile). Disciplines such as sculpture, ceramics, and taxidermy might not be mentioned, because they're sidelined in favor of the mainstream. Etsy and Deviant Art are full of intense paintings; children bring home scribbles from school that are kept on the wall for years, but there's a weirder and larger side to art.
Founder and janitor of the Oregon Department of Kick Ass, Portland-based artist Vanessa Renwick has made over 40 films and installations. Her work ranges from towering gold-leaf BMX bike sculptures in front of Powell’s Books to super 8 shorts of her hitchhike sojourn to the Native American reserves in South Dakota during a two and a half year period spent barefoot, her wolf dog by her side, a pair of tweezers to pick glass out of her feet in her pocket. In an interview with the artist, Renwick talks about her affinity for nature and repair stores, her inner voice that says: "stop walking on concrete," local history, getting shit done, and the great grey wolf.
There are loads of photographers who take the body as their subject matter—hey, it's nothing new. But the women in this post made a point of portraying the body as something to be celebrated and combined with fashion, sociological thinking, or mythology. It's so much more than just snapping a photo.
Together, Andrea Blood and Zoe Sinclair are known as The Girls—an artistic partnership that has revolved around intense tableaux self-portraits, live performances, videos and installations. Along with exhibiting regularly in the UK, they’ve shown at the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art and Milan’s UNO+UNO. Whether they’re taking on recognizable people and reimagining them, or creating entirely new and vibrant characters, you’re sure to be drawn in. I wanted to quiz The Girls about their most controversial pieces, their future projects, and how feminism fits into the picture.
Art therapy has been used for years on patients who are dealing with trauma in all its forms, whether they are suffering from cancer, struggling to fit into a community that isolates women of a certain age or race, or rebuilding their lives following rape and domestic violence. A lot can be gained from this sort of psychological approach, as it allows patients to express themselves (which, in some cases, they have never done before). This therapy is not only a tool for coping, it's also a source of great and deeply personal art.
As a young feminist growing up on the mean streets of Portland, Kelsey dreamed that one day a kickass, independent, feminist media organization would move its headquarters to her beloved home city. Well kids, Gabrielle was right: "Dreams can come true"! Bitch moved to Portland, and one MA in Media Studies from the University of Oregon later, Kelsey moved in as web editor. She hasn't looked back since.
When not editing the interwebs at the Bitch office, Kelsey can be found lecturing reluctant students, listening to podcasts, and hanging out with her French Bulldog, Edith. She also enjoys making things out of fabric and watching pretty much anything on television (preferably at the same time, and preferably with Edith). If you're looking for a new pal who loves both LOLcats and Linda Ronstadt records, she's your gal.
What I'm watching:
Arrested Development, The Twilight Zone, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation
What I'm reading:
Graduate school and the Internet have relegated Kelsey (and her attention span) to the land of short stories. It's a nice place to be, especially when Lorrie Moore and George Saunders are there.
What I'm listening to:
King Khan & BBQ Show, Girls in the Garage, The Blow, NPR
Graduate school and the Internet have relegated Kelsey (and her attention span) to the land of short stories. It's a nice place to be, especially when Lorrie Moore and George Saunders are there.
What I'm listening to:
King Khan & BBQ Show, Girls in the Garage, The Blow, NPR
What I'm watching:
Arrested Development, The Twilight Zone, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation
Kristin Rogers Brown joined Bitch Media as Art Director in March, 2010. She is part insomniac, part narcoleptic, and quite possibly the messiest perfectionist ever.
What I'm reading:
Cruddy (Linda Barry), Dubliners (James Joyce), Spook (Mary Roach), Yehuda Amachai’s poetry, Raymond Carver in general
What I'm listening to:
Bowie, Budos Band, Neko Case, Jawbreaker, Mars Volta, Sharon Jones, mix tapes, Radiolab podcasts
What I'm watching:
30 Rock, Alan Alda’s Scientific American Frontiers, Arrested Development, Trailblazers’ basketball, Discovery Channel-style reality shows, and most things related to law and/or order
Destination Marketer by day, blogger and freelance journalist by night, I'm a 22-year-old Brit who loves art, fashion and the Ramones.
What I'm reading:
'The Marriage Plot' by Jeffrey Eugenides (it's not as good as I hoped it would be, but I'm hoping it picks up), 'Just My Type: A Book About Fonts' by Simon Garfield (I'm into typography and this book is perfect). I also spend a lot of time reading massive fashion magazines and looking at Fashion Gone Rogue online.
What I'm listening to:
Ramones, Red Hot Chili Peppers (mostly circa BloodSugarSexMagik), Iron Maiden, Chromeo, The Black Keys, The Beatles, The Naked and Famous.
What I'm watching:
Diagnosis Murder, Downton Abbey, The Only Way Is Essex (it's the British equivalent of The Hills, only with hilarious people and great catchphrases - find it on Youtube and I guarantee you'll be hooked).
In a game of word association, "art" might make people think of paintings, sketches, canvases or a specific artist like Jackson Pollock (paint splatters, oh my) or the Mona Lisa (very tiny, strange smile). Disciplines such as sculpture, ceramics, and taxidermy might not be mentioned, because they're sidelined in favor of the mainstream. Etsy and Deviant Art are full of intense paintings; children bring home scribbles from school that are kept on the wall for years, but there's a weirder and larger side to art.
