Sometimes, to effect big change, you need a physical object or a strong concept to push up against. I was talking to a friend a couple of days ago, and she said, "Like weight training! You need to lift heavy weights to build your muscles and get stronger." Exactly!
I've been thinking about this in the context of the shift in my work from more aesthetically-driven work (although always with an underlying narrative) to work that addresses controversial topics, starting with the Kevlar Kimono in 2012, a piece about reproductive freedom, progressing to Ultraviolet, (about so-called women's issues) in 2018, and last fall, Regarding Privilege, about white privilege.
Work that speaks to the human condition has its own power; think about Picasso's Guernica, a depiction of the horrors of war. It's an awful topic but at the same time, it's hard to look away.
Nope, I'm not comparing my work to Picasso's.
But having something to push against, like the far right political agenda that's been designed to undermine the rights of ordinary people – and especially women – has triggered something in me. I suppose I should be grateful? Except that, as Toni Morrison wrote, "(T)he function of racism [and sexism, for that matter] ...is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining over and over again your reason for being...."
Pat Adams, who taught painting at Bennington College for over 30 years, described her journey this way: "Is this [artwork] accurate in terms of my understanding of things? I think my whole life is a form of evidence of living and looking and marking and relating the interactions of different little pieces of paper [fabric, in my case] or little blocks of ink."
As long as we have to fight for our rights, we aren't doing our real work, work that explores pure aesthetics, work that allows us to follow our creative instincts. I would love the freedom to follow my (creative) nose down whatever winding path I encounter, but there's so much other work to be done.
Food for thought, as we cast our votes in one of the most consequential elections in our lifetime. If you're able, please vote, keeping in mind the stakes for our democracy.
See you on the other side.
