5 Women Artists Who Speak to the Agency of the Body

Below is a small compilation of women artists who are currently working to expose the battle over the agency of the body, particularly the female one. I purposefully chose women from a variety of countries to allow a comparative discussion of gender roles and the female experience across the world. Sally Mann, an American woman, uses her family and her young daughters to depict hyper sexualization of young children. Vanessa Beecroft is an Italian women, heavily influenced to the historic fashion industry, which often objectifies the woman and puts her body on display. Cindy Sherman comments on this same prospect of female depiction within the fashion world through her collaboration with Balenciaga. Shirin Neshat is representative of a dramatically different culture, post-revolutionary Iran and the legally enforced culture of being a woman. Finally, Nan Goldin covers perhaps the most contemporary issue of human agency and femininity as she uncovers alternative sexual cultures, gender fluidity, and substance abuse.  Please visit the following link to Get The Facts on 2017-2018 demographics and compensations of women in galleries and museums...https://nmwa.org/advocate/get-facts

Sally Mann on the study of girlhood through photography which speaks to themes of death and cultural perceptions of sexuality. She has been awarded the title of "America's Best Photographer" by Time Magazine in 2001. Mann focuses on primarily human subjects, working to portray subtleties in human emotion. Shooting in predominately black and white is intentional to create a somber and serious display of complex emotions and intimacy. Some of her most popular works, are also her most controversial. In the image, "Candy Cigarette", Mann depicts her daughter, facing towards the camera, eyeing the viewer and showing that she is on the brink of becoming a woman. Author, Heeyoung Sim for Pixelle.co writes, "Her crossed arms and flat gaze convey defiance, and her eyes carry a weariness that is beyond her years; she exudes the sensuality and worldliness of the woman she is yet to become. Perhaps she is emulating the behavior of the adults in her life, foreshadowing the hardships of adulthood that will one day come to fall upon her". In a series of other photographs, Mann displays young girls in the hands of grown men or with a group of men lurking in the background. Mann speaks to the early sexualization of young women and the boundaries of personal and emotional space that are often crossed while girls are still very young and unable to defend themselves. 

(Sally Mann)

(

(Candy Cigarette, 1992 as part of the Immediate Family Series. A commentary on the tender transformation of a child to an adult, and the immediate consequences of wha it means to enter the world as a woman.) 

Vanessa Beecroft on the identity politics, voyeurism, and the complex relationship between the viewer, model, and the context. Beecroft is a Los Angeles based, contemporary artists recognized for her performance art pieces which raise conceptual and aesthetic concerns of using nude female models. Beecroft's performances are tailored to the historical, political, and social associations of the place where they are held. During the performances, Beecroft photographs and video records the scenes which become self sufficient pieces. 

(Vanessa Beecroft)  

   

  (Vanessa Beecroft, Piano Americano 1996)

Shirin Neshat on the turbulent political past of Iran, decades of political unrest, and social upheaval. During a 4 year span between 1993 to 1997, Neshat created her first work. She describes this as a series of feminist photographs of women taken in black and white titled, Women of Allah. Through this work, Neshat explored the contrast between religion, politics, violence, and feminism. In these set of photographs, many of which she was the model, depicted women in chadors and holding guns. This was also the time where Neshat developed her signature style of inscribing her pieces with Persian script that few people outside Iran can read. Neshat's work has its claim to fame because of its daring take on femininity under male authority and the way women are treated under strict political and religious regimes. A TED Talk given by Shirin Neshat can be viewed at this link... https://www.ted.com/talks/shirin_neshat_art_in_exile?language=en

   

(Shirin Neshat painting in her studio in New York)   

     

(Shirin Neshat, Stories of Martyrdom 1994)

(Left: Untitled, 1995. Middle: I am its Secret, 1993. Right: Seeking Martyrdom, 1995.)

Nan Goldin is an American acclaimed photographer and holds the unofficial title of "the most controversial and uncompromising modern photographers to date". Her work is a documentation of alternative life style choices such as men in drag, sexual acts, and the downfalls of drug dependency in the United States. Her first solo show was held in Boston in 1973, and displayed her research of gay and transsexual communities that are so extremely marginalized. At the time, and into the present day, artists who work with these communities are often times trying the analyze the gay psyche and expose it to the world. In my opinion, Goldin pays a greater respect to the human agency of these individuals and their freedom to make choices within the necessity of having to explain themselves to those who feel the need to question them. Goldin's work is recognized for it's unique ability to simply admire and celebrate the embrace of free sexuality and the bravery associated with stepping out into the world unsubscribed to it's cultural norms. 
 
(Nan Goldin)

(Cookies, Drugs, and Aids, 1999)


(Nan Goldin, Amanda in the Mirror, 1992)

Cindy Sherman on cultural criticism of the role of women as depicted in film and media. As an American photographer and film director, Sherman is brave and unwavering in her pursuit of uncomfortable, at times purposefully repulsive works. Although it may not look like it, Sherman is always the starring model in her photos, using prosthetics and dramatic stage like makeup to distort her appearance. Sherman's main focus is to critique the portrayal and assigned roles for women in media. Untitled Film Still #93, is Sherman's play on a pornographic magazine like Playboy. However, instead of a seductress,  submissive to the male gaze, Sherman poses in a disheveled fearful way gripping the sheets. This conveys a sense of distress and the realities of female objectification and how it can lead to rape culture and sexual abuse victims. 

 
(Cindy Sherman x Balenciaga, 2010. Critique on the portrayal of women in the fashion industry)

(Untitled Film Still, #93, Sherman's critique of women as depicted in sex magazines)

Work Cited:

Randal, M. (2018, March 8). 10 Women in Contemporary Art. Retrieved from https://www.widewalls.ch/10-women-in-contemporary-art/

Sim, H. Sally Mann's "Candy Cigarette". Retrieved from https://www.pixelle.co/sally-mann/.