Activism & History

For my project, I am discussing girls/women and violence. The issue I am focusing on is domestic violence, the different forms of violence and the root of it. It starts with oppression, inequality, and patriarchy. This topic is usually avoided and not acknowledged unless it involved murder. The art piece below is called, “Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil”, by Carly Stafford. You see there are three women with different ethnicities but experiencing the same issue. The first females to the left look scared and have a mark on her nose and bottom lip, the second female looks cornered and is blindfolded with a bruise on her cheek, and the last woman has been silenced with a black eye and a bruise on her neck. Domestic violence has become the norm in my opinion. It’s normal to abuse a female when they do not obey their partner. This is tearing away their rights as a human being. Women are not valued and their education is not seen as important. They are valued for how they look, not what they can do. How I plan to approach this issue is by raising awareness and suggestions on how to cope with the aftermath of violence.

Carly Stafford's piece, "Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil"

The Persistence of History consists of art pieces that teach aspects of history. The first piece I choose from the exhibition is the “Trade Canoe: The Dark Side” by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. This piece shows two people with different ethnicities and backgrounds, General George Armstrong Custer and Tonto. In between the two you see the solar eclipse, a rainbow beam, bones and bodies of victims. The rainbow is shining on Tonto, and the solar eclipse is facing General George Armstrong Custer. Yet the mountain is much higher that is near General Custer than Tonto. From this piece I see bad versus good, lives and possibly animals that are caught in between the trade. The Native Americans identity are being taken away from them by force. This is a sign of oppression and the thirst of gaining more power by any means necessary. “We understand particular cultural references and we are in cahoots with a certain common sensibility that motivates our action. We gain a sense of how the game is played, and we play it well, for the purpose of gaining more power” (Thompson). It does not matter how power is achieved as long as it is obtained. Do you think power and violence are the same things? Power is used to make people obey, and those who do not have the ability to make people obey uses violence in order to gain power. People use this strategy for many things. “Power is thus not purely a financial situation, but one coded in the manner in which we speak, walk, and breathe" (Thompson).

Tade Canoe: The Dark Side

The second piece I choose from the exhibition is Christy Georg’s project called “Untitled (Sailor Saddle). In the description of her piece, it says she explores parallels between the sailor and the cowboy. Behind her piece, Christy Georg is said to be an experienced sailor, backpacker, and explorer. She is very adventurous and not your typical idea of what women should be doing with her time. I thought what society would think of her piece and character as a whole. Gender roles play a huge part in today’s world. “Time and again, I have seen the potent merger of art and activism transform people’s understanding of politics- and their relationship with the world” (Thompson). Gender stereotype has an effect on children, making them believe that appearance is much more important than achievements and character. Women are not limiting themselves anymore. They are not identifying and embedding the stereotypes that are made for them. Gender inequality is an ongoing issue people from around the world are experiencing. From women not having the right to vote to women and girls not having access to education. 

Untitled (Sailor Saddle)

The last piece I choose is by Nina Katchadourian. I liked the idea of how she used caterpillars as a mustache. To keep the caterpillars from crawling and roaming her face, she applied honey on her upper lip where the mustache was created. Another piece of hers, using caterpillars, that grabbed my attention is called, “Quit Using Us”. “Rather than telling people exactly what I think, the art experience becomes a platform for a dialogue, even if its solely an internal dialogue” (Interventionists). This piece spoke to me in a way that could advocate for females to speak out. Quit using gender roles to force identities upon people. Quit using oppression to have control. Quit embedding patriarchy upon others as if it is the correct way of living.

Self Portrait as Sir Ernest Shackleton

                                                                    Work Cited: 

• https://www.yourobserver.com/article/the-art-of-equality-embracing-our-differences-fills-sarasota-bayfront-with-art
• Friedman, Nick. “The Art of Equality: Embracing Our Differences Fills Sarasota Bayfront with Art | Arts and Entertainment.” Your Observer, Your Observer, 10 July 2017, www.yourobserver.com/article/the-art-of-equality-embracing-our-differences-fills-sarasota-bayfront-with-art
• Smith, Jaune. Trade Canoe: The Dark Side. 2017-2018. Canvas. Courtesy of the Lawrence Lithography Workshop, Kansas City.
• Georg, Christy. Untitled (sailor Saddle). 2016. Sculpture. 
• Katchadourian, Nina. Self-Portrait as Sir Ernest Shackleton. 2002. Chromogenic color print. Courtesy of DC Moore, Gallery New York.
• Nina Katchadourian, www.ninakatchadourian.com/uninvitedcollaborations/quitusingus.php.