Use of fabrics and textiles in feminist art...

Feminist art works are often made from particularly tactile materials (often contrasting ones ~ e.g. silk and pins) which highlight the contrast between men and women, or show that despite women's bodies are soft, they can be strong too.

Inspired by such art, I want to create a set of pieces that reflect these ideas. I am going to use some colours that are commonly associated with women, such as pink and red, and some that are not, like black and brown.

Art Fems exhibition poster 

 
Emily Miller, "X Chromosomes"

Inspired by the above poster for a feminist gallery exhibition I am going to, and also by Emily Miller's "X Chromosomes" work, I am going to make a set of pieces that reflect ideas about women and their bodies.

Ideas...

From my visual and historical research, one aspect of feminism and feminist art that has stood out to me is how the female body has been used in art. For thousands of years, it has been primarily used as a point of observation for male artists, who have focused on the aspects of a woman's body that make her attractive, dependant on the time. Woman have been (and still are) idealised by men, and this article explores how women have been portrayed in art from 1962 to 2002.

In my own work, I want to use the female body as a reference point, but rather than portray women in an idealised way, I want to show them in a more genuine, natural light.

'Fragmentation of the Body' ~ Giron Mathilde

(Source: http://positivebodyimageinspiration.tumblr.com/post/78447342754/fragmentation-of-the-body-and-acceptance-by-giron)


This series of photographs by Giron Mathilde is similar to the work of Ryoko Suzuki, in that it deals with body image and the idea of the body being contorted. Areas of the body where there are natural folds, rolls and creases, which are often labelled as "ugly" and "undesirable", are presented in a way that shows that they are beautiful.

  

 

 

The linear simplicity and natural colours in the images make them very organic in appearance, and give an air of softness and gentleness. Unlike Ryoko Suzuki's "Bind" series, the photographer has used the body alone, rather than incorporating other materials, to enhance the natural feeling. Although not labelled as "feminist art", these images show the importance of positive body image and self-worth, a concept which is central to a lot of feminist works.

Ryoko Suzuki ~ "Bind"

 

Ryoko Suzuki's "Bind" series comprises of photographs that show the female body being constricted and distorted by bloody ties:

"The"Bind"series expresses my inner-self:a grown-up who has left the world introduced by her parents and other adults. Acquiring my own thinking and being,"Bind"shows a woman who has to deal with her female sexuality. In this work series, I bound myself with pigskin, which had been soaked in my blood as a symbol of womanhood. I was feeling and thinking about my life-in which I had transformed from a child who just believed what adults provided- leading it my very own way, as a woman, while wrapping my eyes, nose, mouth, and ears with pigskin. In this way, the"Bind"series are recordings of actions reflecting these considerations."

The work is provocative due to the materials used and the visual appearance. It is suggestive of being trapped, restrained and tortured, issues that are often dealt with in feminist art.

Textiles and feminist art

Several contemporary feminist artists are using specific textiles and fabrics in their work, perhaps as a comment on stereotypically female activities like washing, sewing, dressmaking etc.


1) Julia Triston

Julia creates "knicker bunting", which has been used to launch the University of York's "Carnival of Feminist Cultural Activism".


2) Lin Tianmiao

Lin has made "badge" installations which show all the derogatory names a woman can be called.

3) Judy Chicago

Arguably Judy's most famous work, "The Dinner Party" is an installation which includes place settings (carrying connotations with "female jobs" like cooking and sewing) for 39 mythical and historical famous women, with 999 more named on the floor tiles. Judy's goal for this work was to "end the ongoing cycle of omission in which women were written out of the historical record". Butterfly or flower-like sculptures are used to represent vulvas, and the piece celebrates traditional female accomplishments like textile arts, which have been framed as craft or "domestic art", as opposed to the more culturally-valued, male-dominated fine arts.

4) Feminist cross stitch

Perhaps as a "nod" to artists like Chicago, many feminists in today's society are creating "traditionally female" art like cross stitching, but with an obvious feminist overtone:

5) Naiza Khan

In stark contrast to the soft fabrics used by some other feminist artists, Naiza uses metal and nails to create items of clothing historically used to restrain or hinder women:

Armour skirt

Armour corset

Quote of the day

"Blurred Lines"

Labelled as "the most controversial song of the decade", Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" has caused a storm. Its racy video, which features little other than practically naked girls prancing around the screen, has been the source of much criticism from feminists everywhere. Although a censored version of the video was aired, the song has spawned countless parodies such as "Defined Lines" (which features countless fantastic lines like "your precious dick can't beat my vibrator",  "we are scholastic, smart and sarcastic, not fucking plastic" and "you can't just grab me... that's a sex crime").

On a serious note, the original song is a worrying reminder of how "rape culture" and "dehumanising" women is still a massive problem in the world. With comments like "it sounds like a rapist singing" becoming the most common response to the song and the video, it's not surprising that phrases like "she was asking for it" are becoming common among convicted rapists. With nearly 300 million views on the uncensored video alone, mass-viewed songs like these are giving off a completely twisted view of what the "right way" to treat women is.

Natalia Atkins discusses the controversial video in this article.