Five Contemporary ARTISTS not "Women Artists"  

Art that is produced in the 20th or 21st century is known as “contemporary art.” In other words, artwork in this era is produced using “painting, sculpture, photography, installation, performance, and video art” (Richman-Abdou, 2019). Another criteria pertaining to contemporary art is that the artists are currently alive and producing works freely. Many contemporary women artists tackle the genres of gender, race, class, and art history through their skillful works. Thus, the following women below took the initiative and risks to speak out against the male gaze, and gender inequality that stills continues to prevail in society in their works by using themselves as a subject or illustrating experiences they have encountered!

One influential contemporary artist that we discussed in class was Judy Chicago. Judy Chicago is a very talented artist that is known for her powerful work, “The Dinner Party.” Unfortunately, I did not get to visit the Brooklyn Museum and see this spectacular artwork. However, I know the symbolism behind this piece because my group members and I incorporated it into our performance. The Dinner Party features thirty-nine place settings, each commemorating important women from history. Additionally, another 999 names of women are inscribed on the floor below the triangular table. A total of 1,038 women are mentioned to honor each individual’s achievements and embody the symbol of the female. The equilateral triangle represents equality, which is the goal of feminism (BrooklynMuseum.org). Judy Chicago illustrated this piece to suggest that these female heroes are just as worthy as male heroes! Hence, she highlights the gender inequality in this piece because these women did not receive the recognition that they deserved. 

Figure 1: Judy Chicago (July 20, 1939 - Present), The Dinner Party, 1974–79. This artwork was an important icon for feminist art and a milestone in 20th-century art. 

Another contemporary artist that we spoke about was Barbara Kruger. Barbara Kruger was born right here in Newark, New Jersey. This talented artist tackles the issue of contemporary circumstances in society like politics, gender, race, culture, etc. In other words, her artworks encourage viewers to analyze the meaning behind what is shown to them. As mentioned in “The Art Story,” Kruger merges the slick facade of graphic design with unexpected phrases in order to catch the viewer's attention using the language of contemporary publications, graphic design, or magazines (TheArtStory.org). One of her notable works was “Untitled (Your body is a battleground)” that depicts the inner struggle between the negative versus the positive exposures. In this image, Kruger highlights the physical body of a female by having her subject stare straight ahead through the print to emphasize the directiveness of the point of view. This work is not only art, but it is also a protest for the feminist struggle of attaining equality (TheArtStory.org). The split between the subject’s face verifies the stark split between men and women in society. Hence, Kruger voices her opinion through her works by attacking the gender and identity barriers for women in society! 

Figure 2: Barbara Kruger (January 26, 1945 - Present), Untitled (Your body is a battleground), 1989. This image was produced for the Women’s March on Washington in support of Feminism. 

At the very beginning of the semester, an artist’s artwork was on our blog and remained at the sidebar throughout the semester. This artist was Mickalene Thomas. Mickalene Thomas was also born in New Jersey, but currently works in Brooklyn, New York. Her artworks consist of paintings, collages, photographs, videos, etc. In her complex portraits, she features women who romanticize power and femininity, which allows her to depict how women are represented in art. She incorporates rhinestones and uses colorful acrylic paint to symbolize femininity. Additionally, Mickalene Thomas explores the definition of beauty in her works through a contemporary lens (ArtNet.com). In the image below, Mickalene Thomas creatively depicts powerful women such as her mother, celebrities, and iconic art-historical figures. Mickalene focuses on race in this portrait by visualizing and African American’s to art history and the overall culture. With that being said, she illustrates these three women to show each of the individual characteristics that make them unique and attractive in their own ways. Hence, this work validates that women can take on powerful roles in society just like men, but they are never acknowledged for their capabilities.

Figure 3: Mickalene Thomas (January 28, 1971 - Present), Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe: Les trois femmes noires, 2010. In this image, the artist examines the popular characterization of black female identity, celebrity, and sexuality.

By far one of the most touching works by a talented performance artist that we learned about this semester was Marina Abramovic. This artist features herself in the visual art form by using her body as both a subject and medium in her performances. In other words, Marina Abramovic experimented with her mental, physical, and emotional endurance to see how far she can go with giving up control of herself in front of her audience (Theculturetrip.com). Marina definitely took risks in her artwork because she pushes so many boundaries and sometimes even put her life in danger. One of her famous performance, “The Artist is Present,” was a very emotional piece for me, especially when the artist’s ex-lover sat in front of her. I couldn’t help but tear up when I saw the video in class because there was so much emotion between these two individuals. In this performance, Marina Abramovic sat on a wooden chair for more than 700 hours and silently looked at whoever chose to come sit in front of her. Individuals that participated use the artist as a mirror to reflect on their inner pains and emotions (Theculturetrip.com). Therefore, this artist allows the audience to be able to partake in the artwork and not only view it from a distance. Works by Marina Abramovic display the ideology of seeing how far she can go as a woman performing in front of other women and men.

Figure 4: Marina Abramovic (November 30, 1946 - Present), “The Artist is Present” performance, 2010. This performance allowed individuals to use the artist as a “mirror” to communicate their emotions and pain without saying a word. 

FUN FACT: Lady Gaga had the opportunity to sit in front of this artist during the performance. 

The last contemporary artist I want to mention is Cindy Morris Sherman, who was another artist born in New Jersey. Towards the beginning of the semester, I chose this particular artist to write my “mini blog post” on. I had a strong feeling that we would discuss this artist. Cindy Sherman is an American photographer, film director, and artist who is well-known for her provocative works pertaining to the representation of women in modern society. Many of her images often challenge the stereotypical roles of women that are embedded in an individual’s consciousness (Walker Art Center 2019). Cindy Sherman became well-known for her Untitled Film Stills, which she uses herself as a subject to take on different identities. She does this  “with vintage clothing, wigs and make-up” to depict different roles and take on different personalities (Artlead.net). The image below is very ambiguous. As viewers, we have no idea who the subject is, where the image is captured, what the situation is, etc. Hence, Sherman leaves her images for viewers to create their own interpretations of what they see. As Sherman articulates, “everyone can be anything, anytime, anywhere” (Artlead.net). Hence, the viewers construct the identities of the subject in different images.

Figure 5: Cindy Sherman (January 19, 1954 - Present) Untitled Film Stills #15, 1978. Who is the subject in this image? Where is she currently at? Why is she sitting next to the window? Cindy Sherman allows viewers to develop their own interpretations of the subject in her works. 

Works Cited

Barbara Kruger Art, Bio, Ideas. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theartstory.org/artist/kruger-barbara/.

Cindy Sherman. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://walkerart.org/collections/artists/cindy-sherman?gclid=Cj0KCQjwwb3rBRDrARIsALR3XeaTTLzZNmHbx1vsaSQYI-HH3FRqIJFsRXArYsLteopJWpkDtMtRxFEaAmrNEALwwcB.

Mickalene Thomas. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.artnet.com/artists/mickalene-thomas/biography.

Modern Classics: Cindy Sherman - Untitled Film Stills, 1977-1980: artlead. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://artlead.net/content/journal/modern-classics-cindy-sherman-untitled-film-stills/.

Samuels, A. J. (2012, June 7). Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present, and Overwhelmingly So. Retrieved from https://theculturetrip.com/europe/serbia/articles/marina-abramovi-the-artist-is-present-and-overwhelmingly-so/.

Shovava. (2019, October 11). What is Contemporary Art? An In-Depth Look at the Modern-Day Movement. Retrieved from https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-contemporary-art-definition/.

The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party.