How to Make Feminist Body Art
How To Make A Feminist Body Art is a blog about feminist art and body art. The blog is about the politics of women’s creative expression, the role of feminism in art, and more. Brought to you by Kate Durbin, the author of howtomalefeministbodyart.blogspot.com, a book on how to make feminist body art.
Feminist art, or body art, is primarily about a woman’s experience or feelings. The art is not made for the purpose of expressing her emotion, but the art itself arouses emotion. It’s similar to that of abstract expressionism or surrealism.
The most common types of feminist art include:
Body Art: This is the use of one’s body to create art through painting, dance, performance art and other actions using the body as a tool. It can be used to illustrate an emotion or even tell a story. This type of feminist art was born in the 1970s and began to gain popularity in the 1980s.
Body modification/piercing: This is the use of piercing and tattooing to express oneself. Some feminists have chosen to get their bodies pierced or tattooed to show their independence and strength.
Body modification/branding: Branding was first used in religious ceremonies and tribal rituals. Today it is used by some feminists as a way of expressing themselves through physical pain.
Fashion: This style tries not only to reflect a woman’s personality, but also her view on society, social issues and politics. It’s also used by some feminists as a way to express their opinion on women’s issues and politics.
In the 1970’s, feminist body art was a new concept. There were not any rules for this sort of art so artists had to make up their own. They used their bodies and turned them into canvases. They used different types of paint and media to express themselves. The most popular ones were using eggs, yogurt, ketchup, blood and other unsual materials.
Tina Blondell was one of the main people in this movement and she started the Feminist Art Program at Cal Arts in Los Angeles where she taught many students about feminist art and how to do it. She is considered the mother of feminist art.
She said that “The whole point of doing body art is to do an action that will shock people so they will look at what you’re doing.”
Artists like Chris Burden, Vito Acconci, Carolee Schneeman, Francesca Woodman and Marina Abramovic were some of the main artists that began this movement.
Shocking people with their art was a main goal for these artists because they wanted to expose how society objectifies women’s bodies and how women are mostly viewed as sexual objects instead of just regular human beings. In New York, there was a group called “Society for Cutting Up Men” (
Feminist Art The French Feminist art movement began in the early 1970s when artists such as Suzanne Lacy, Mary Beth Edelson, and Hannah Wilke started to make art that was overtly about women’s issues. Many of these women were part of the feminist group Women Artists in Revolution (WAR) and the feminist group Guerrilla Girls.
They considered themselves to be making a form of political art that would expose sexism, racism and other forms of oppression.
Feminist Art Women’s work is often in dialog with male work, but it also includes critiques of traditional gender roles and stereotypes.
Many feminist artists use their own bodies as their medium. For example, Carolee Schneeman uses her body to comment on violence against women. In “Interior Scroll” she reads a list of names of women who have been raped or murdered while lying naked on the floor covered with painted text.
In the 1980s and 1990s feminist art became more popular as a result of exhibitions like WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution (2007) at MOCA Los Angeles curated by Connie Butler. This exhibition blended works by both well known female artists such as Judy Chicago, Nancy Spero, Ana Mendieta and newer artists such as Mona Hatou
Feminist art is artistic work that responds to or challenges the patriarchal structures of the dominant culture. Feminist art is one of many attempts by women to change their culture and alter the way we think about gender, sexuality and the body.
Trying to define feminist art is a complicated business. The reason for this is that there are so many different kinds of feminist art, made by people with such diverse backgrounds and styles. So while it very well may be possible to define feminist art, it would be difficult and probably pointless.
The word “feminism” in its various forms has been around since the 1830s, but as a term describing a movement it didn’t appear until the 1890s, when it was used by French suffragettes who wanted to have the same rights as men. In 1910s, after World War I and II, feminism became more widespread and descriptive of a social movement rather than just an idea.
The Feminism of today originated in the 1960s after Betty Friedan published her book The Feminine Mystique , which led to a general awakening among women who were unaware of feminism as an intellectual concept and a political movement.
Art is not only a powerful vehicle for the expression of political and social messages, it can also be a way to provoke social change. Artist Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party , comprised of 39 elaborately embroidered place settings, is a feminist art piece that celebrates the historical achievements of women in the arts and sciences.
Titled “A Celebration of Women’s Creativity,” Chicago’s installation at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in 1979 was intended to inspire women to find their own voices. The artist hand-stitched each place setting with artifacts that recognized women’s accomplishments throughout history. Each plate featured an image from a famous work of art by a female artist or one that represented cultural traditions of women. The plates were arranged on a triangular table with 39 chairs to represent the number of guests who would have been present at the Last Supper had it included women .
In addition to her original embroidery, Chicago included quotes from famous women about their experiences as artists, writers and scientists. She also provided materials for visitors to make their own place mats at home. These artifacts inspired feminist activists, students and museum patrons alike to create their own works of art in order to express themselves and bring recognition to women’s accomplishments.
The impact of Chicago’s installation reached far beyond its walls.
