Contemporary art is an era that focuses very much on traversing past stereotypes and beginning to have discussions about the patriarchal, heteronormative, cisgender lens through which much of the world is seen. Speaking on themes of gender, sexuality, and intersectionality these women have broken barriers and stigmas about what it means to be a woman. While cultures often over sexualize and view females as lesser than, the work of the following artists use their art to speak about identity and explore boundaries between society's expectations and the reality of the world.
Born in Iran, Shirin Neshat is unafraid of demonstrating the contradictions in society's conceptions of women, specifically Muslim woman, and the reality. In her work entitled Women of Allah, the author explores these boundaries as she recalls the expectations of Iranian women during the war along with the ideas that people have about what a typical Muslim girl is like. While Western society may see such images and immediately associate them with a repressive and silencing society, the women who were martyrs during this time period were actually strong, violent, and brave in moments of difficulty. Encouraged by the government to support the cause, Neshat explores paradoxical elements, such as the hijab and the inscription covering her face, to speak on how women are not simply delicate and quiet. Rather, the war proved that women can exist between love, power, and hate. To kill for a cause, but do so for righteous reasons is to act for love. Interestingly enough, the writing on her face is a meant to break the silence of the woman in the portrait (Chadwick 309). Using her body as a political playground, the firm look at the viewer challenges those who assume she is weak.
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Rebellious Silence as part of the Women of Allah series - The gun to her face seems to be silencing her as the words on her face cover her in the way that a Burqa would. Yet, the gun is also a powerful symbol, she has so much power in her grasp.
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Graciela Iturbide works to amplify the voice of those who are often silenced. Focusing on the lives of those in the LGBTQ+ community, she humanizes those who are marginalized. In the photo below, she depicts a non-binary person who does not conform to the standards of the world. While Americans may think of this as strange, Iturbide actually works in a community where homosexuality and a third gender are quite common. Interestingly enough, the mirror sort of represents the distinct ways in which the individual being photographed and the viewer look at the image. Some may be conflicted with the identity of the individual below, but they seem to be quite comfortable dressing and expressing themselves as they please. Thus, this artist uses her work to empower others and share their stories. She does not depict them as victim, but rather, as people who are proud of who they are despite what society may believe.
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| Graciela Iturbide, Magnolia, Juchitan, Oaxaca, Mexico, 1987 |
Paola Parades, an Ecuadorian photographer, also traverses notions of identity in her series called unveiled. Capturing the moment in which she comes out to her family, each photograph gives the viewer an intimate look into what is probably one of the hardest parts of being queer - seeking acceptance from your family. In a way, her work is also intriguing because having to "come out" is also telling of the assumption that everyone is heterosexual. The fact that people have to reveal their differences to the world sheds a light on the perceptions the world harbors about one another. To not fit the norm, is to have to bear the burden of being ashamed of your identity in the world.
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| Parola Paredes, unveiled, 2014 |
Similarly, Marina Abramovic utilizes her art as a way to test the limits of her body. Each of her pieces is a form of performance art, and invites the audience to join her. Rhythm 0 was one of her most intriguing pieces as she made herself susceptible to the audience by putting out 72 objects that they could use on her as they pleased. These included: a rose, whip, gun, bullet, and honey. Varying in use, these objects were meant to test the audience and see how they would react when they could act freely without limitations. As a result, Marina was left stripped and exposed. She played with ideas of morality and tested the extent of human cruelty when no one is watching. Her piece also goes to show the way women's bodies are very much sexualized and seen as a canvas in which people can freely attack as viewers felt quite comfortable exposing and harming her body. Rhythm 0 reveals the aggressive nature people possess and the lack of limits that exist when one is told they are free to a ct as they please.
Cindy Sherman, a photographer that challenged the representation of women in the media used her body as the medium through which she criticizes society's perspective of what girls are really like. Taking pictures of herself in a variety of personas and masks, Untitled Film Stills takes stereotypical roles from the 50s and 60s as inspiration (MoMA). She explores the line between characters and reality as her photographs question what a woman truly is. A commentary on the limited roles actresses possess, Sherman's piece sort of positions each character in a way that is unhappy with herself. Unsatisfied with the restriction of who she must be, Sherman also plays with the ambiguity oh each film still. She does not title each photograph as it allows the viewer to make their own opinions about what they see. It additionally provides the audience with a chance to self-reflect as they may even begin to recognize society's gender roles through these photographs. Questioning her own identity, Sherman is extremely critical of the media's idea of womanhood and pushes for a reform in which women are humanized.
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| Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #21 |
Works Cited
Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, & Society. 5th ed. Thames & Hudson Inc. 2016
"MoMa Learning: Untitled Film Still #21.", MoMA, www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/cindy-sherman-untitled-film-stills-1977-80/.
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