A Good Month for Feminist Art

There are some super-cool events surrounding the WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution exhibit at the MOCA, which runs March 4-July 16. The exhibit itself sounds quite extensive and includes several names I recognize such as Marina Abramovic, Judy Chicago, Tee Corinne, Barbara Hammer, Linda Montano, Yvonne Rainer, Sally Potter, Carolee Schneemann, Valerie Solanas, and Spiderwoman Theater.

There are two events related to this exhibit that caught my eye. The first, Shared Women, is opening tomorrow and I'm not sure I'll make it to the opening reception because I have an academic committment that will probably go until at least 8pm, but I will definitely check out the exhibit at some point.

Shared Women at LACE, curated by A.L. Steiner, Emily Roysdon and Eve Fowler advertises itself as:

an exhibition that is dependent on cronyism, feminism and nepotism. We are supposed to be doing it for the love of the craft, for the love of humankind, for the love of the planet but we are not. We sleep with each other, inspire, plot, plan, respond, complain, collaborate, and analyze. We reorganize and reaffirm our histories every few years, culling histories from ‘the women’ and ‘the gays,’ from outsiders now insiders. This is a gay feminist show that picks up the tools of our mothers and refashions them to seduce and influence each other. Maybe some artists in this show have slept their way to the middle. Maybe some are using that bridge called my back, but all are creating conscientious contemporary feminist art that needs to be seen by more than the “communities” that form around alternative venues, ideologies, and shared women. Welcome to our dirty commerce.

The opening reception, wednesday February 28th, 2007, 7-9 pm at LACE in Hollywood, will feature performances by Marriage, Taisha Paggett, Tri-state Area, Edie Fake & Dewayne Sleightweight with interactive opportunities with Tit Pin and A.K. Burns in the Transaction Station. Contributors to the exhibit that I recognize (not already mentioned) includeChicks on Speed, Ginger Brooks Takahashi, JD Samson, K8 Hardy, Stanya Kahn & Harry Dodge, The Third Leg, and Ulrike Mueller. Many of these are young queer feminist artists who have collaborated on projects before, including the journal lttr.

The second event that caught my eye was:
Aqui No Hay Virgenes: Queer Latina Visibility
curated by Jennifer Doyle & Raquel Gutierrez
Opening March 15 7PM and running through April 30

The Advocate & Gochis Galleries
at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza

The artists in this group show present us with atypical images of radical Latina selves. They forego the compulsory iconographies associated with mainstream Latina identity - no corn husk goddesses, no Virgenes de Guadalupe. These are anarchic visions of bruisers, brooders, and romantics that will knock you out with a kiss. Thus the title: “here lie no virgins”. In their place we have women of subcultural distinction; women with attitude and a strong sexual presence- divas, punk rockers, malcriadas (bad girls) and peleoneras (fighters). Featuring the work of Delilah Montoya, Alice Bag, Nao Bustamante, Diane Gamboa, Alma Lopez, and Shizu Saldamando.

This exhibit features an opening reception on March 15 from 7 to 10pm (free). The Butchlalis will also be doing a performance in conjunction with this exhibit on March 31 at 8pm. Tickets are $15, but I have no information on how to get them. I hope this won't be overbooked the way their Highways show was.