DESCRIPTION OF INTERACTIVE
In 1972, art critic John Berger (1926– 2017), published what would become a very influential book on art criticism, titled Ways of Seeing. In it, he challenged several significant aspects of art - in particular how different groups of people have been systematically marginalized and overlooked by the art elite. For example, in his discussion on the female nude in painting and females in contemporary advertising, Berger points out that women are generally depicted as an object to the male viewer and thus, subjected to the male gaze.
The Feminist Art Movement began in the 1970s, almost as an avant-garde (definition: The avant-garde are people or works that are experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.) movement, but has since grown into one of the most influential international post-war art movements. Some of the issues that the movement seeks to redress are that:
1. throughout most of recorded history males have imposed patriarchal social systems in which they have dominated females;
2. the preponderance of art has been made by males, and for male audiences, sometimes transgressing against females;
3. the studio system has systematically excluded women from training as artists, and the gallery system has kept them from exhibiting and selling their work, as well as from being collected by museums;
4. the treatment of many traditional artforms made by women, has categorized them as “crafts” rather than “art,” implying that they are less valued.
An anonymous group of feminist, female artists devoted to fighting sexism and racism within the art world.
A British feminist film theorist, must famous for her work regarding sexual objectification of women in the media, more commonly known as “The Male Gaze” theory.
Wilding is a Paraguayan American multidisciplinary artist, writer, and educator, widely known for her contribution to the progressive development of feminist art.
Chicago is an American feminist artist, art educator, and writer known for her large collaborative art installation pieces, which examine the role of women in history and culture. Her best known work, The Dinner Party, is widely regarded as the first epic feminist artwork.
The post-colonial perspective is an important postmodern art movement. Artists whose cultures were assimilated or suppressed, are making statements that address the past from a non-Western perspective, and give the viewer insight into their cultures.
Unfortunately, many of the art critics, art academics, and art historians are predominantly Westerners - who were the colonizers - and often their interpretations of the artworks are still from a Western perspective.
This means the messages from these artists have to address issues, not just about the effect of postcolonialism on their culture, but must confront a public that is conditioned to interpret and understand their work in a manner that is still influenced by a Western worldview.
American author, feminist, and social activist, Bell Hooks, in her book, Art on My Mind: Visual Politics, addresses how art can be an empowering and revolutionary force within the Black community.
Kent Monkman is a Canadian artist of Cree ancestry who works in a variety of media, including painting, film/video, performance, and installation work. In his paintings and performances, he uses classical 19th century landscapes, speaking to the appropriation and assimilation of Native American culture by colonial settlers.
An inter-disciplinary Anishinaabe-Canadian artist who is particularly notable for politically conscious and socially aware performance and installation work.
In John Dewey’s (1859–1952) book, Art as Experience, he suggested that art is a product of culture - that people express the significance of their lives and culture, as well as their hopes and ideals, through their art. Political art then is a way of making a comment on our culture - usually on things that are unjust. Just making political art, in itself, can be an act of protest. The most important part of protest art is the element of social activism.
Banksy is an anonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, and film director, most famous for his satirical and political street art.
Lasn is an Estonian-Canadian film maker, author, magazine editor, and activist, best known as the founder of the Adbusters Media Foundation, a culture jamming organization seeking to subvert mainstream consumer society.
Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist and activist. His artworks are openly critical of the Chinese government's stance on democracy and human rights. For this, he has been jailed and kept under constant observation by the government.
LGBTTIQ art often deals with issues of representation and self-representation.
LGBTTIQ art often seeks to break down the norms of the status quo. Much like many marginalized groups, issues with intersectionality - sexuality, race, gender, nation, class, and ethnicity - are addressed in the artwork, which is often viewed by an audience that may not be aware that their cis-gendered perspective is a barrier to fully understanding the art and the artist.
Mapplethorpe was an American photographer, famous for his large-scale black and white images, and for the controversy over public funding of some of his more homoerotic artworks.
General Idea was a collective of three Canadian artists, Felix Partz, Jorge Zontal, and AA Bronson, who were active from 1967 to 1994. General idea subverted popular media culture in their artworks.
Muñoz was an American academic in the fields of performance studies, visual culture, queer theory, cultural studies, and critical theory. His work addressed identity politics (definition: Refers to political positions based on the interests and perspectives of social groups and social organization with which people identify.), cultural hegemony (definition: The dominant beliefs of a culture, often imposed by the ruling class as a way of controlling the masses.), and aesthetics.