Footsteps in the Dark
a per-zine of whispered secretsColouring Outside the Lines: The exhibition. Zine transcript. Why women artists?
‘Does the notion of the feminine arts imply an essentialist/universal femininity – a belief in the inherently ‘female’ or culturally ‘feminine’ and is it really possible to talk of ‘women’s activities’, ‘women’ or even of ‘woman’ as fixed categories?’ Pennina Barnett
MM: We decided to exhibit contemporary female artists alone in line with the philosophy of COTL zine (such as antiessentialism of ‘art’/making representation in art more inclusive of women/allowing women to represent and speak of their worlds/challenging power dynamics/ increasing accessibility), whilst also being aware of the wide-ranging scope of contemporary art that women are producing in all its many forms and guises; each unique to individual women’s lives, experiences and expressions.
RK: I think we’re both aware that the idea of a universal female experience is a very problematic one. Factors such as race, class and sexuality upset and complicate the idea of a stable notion of ‘womanhood’. However whilst we all have restrictions placed upon our ability to be artists and to create, for women and girls, I believe that these restrictions are often (though not always) shared. These may be practical restrictions of time in a world where women are required to be active in spheres of both domesticity and careers, or confidence issues where we are still not entirely convinced that our creativity is valid or important. If the question is, ‘do you still think women experience discrimination because of their gender’ I would answer yes, but I would also add that that discrimination is not equal or absolute. For me the intention was not to define a ‘feminine art’, but more simply, to showcase a type of work which was challenging and was made by people who don’t always have the opportunity to exhibit.
