what about feminism?

Debate at the occasion of Jill Magid’s exhibition ‘Libration Point’ in SMBA. A critical consideration on the position of women artists today and the influence of feminism in contemporary art.

SMCS on 11, Wednesday December 14 2005: What about Feminism?
Discussion (spoken language: English)
Starting time: 8 p.m.
Free entrance
Please make reservations through desk@stedelijk.nl(You will only be replied in case of overbooking)

The twentieth century has been the century of women in the art world and her march still is unstoppable. Talented artists like Meret Oppenheim, Charley Toorop, Frida Kahlo and Lee Krasner stepped into the art historical spotlight, partially due to powerful self-willed personalities, to obtain a place in the world of art that had been dominated by men for ages. Nowadays, the younger generation doesn’t have to fight for that attention any more. It may sufficiently be supposed that female artists have as much a sense of humour, lack of taste, moralism, eroticism and existentialistic fear of life at their disposal as their male colleagues.         

The work of a few contemporary artists but also events like the last Venice Biennial, gives us an immediate cause for engaging in a debate that focuses not only a critical view on the position of women artists today but also on the influence of feminism, and especially feminist art discourse from the 70s up to the 90s, on the contemporary art scene.

Have art theory and art production of female artists of the past 35 years become common property? Is there a continuation in the sequences of movements within feminist art theory? And what lies ahead of us? After the first and second waves of feminism and Post-feminism, do we find ourselves in a period of Neo-feminism? And what does this mean? A selection of experts in the field is invited to formulate answers to these questions. It might lead to a better perspective on today’s importance of the meaning of feminism in art.

With:

Joke Hermsen (1961) is a philosopher and writer. She wrote her debut novel in  1999 titled Het Dameoffer. In 2003 her compilation of essays titledHeimwee naar de mens was nominated for ‘best philosophic book of the year’.

Katy Deepwell (1962, UK) is a writer, art critic and art historian. She is the founder,  publisher and editor of N.Paradoxa, an international feminist art journal.

Jill Magid (1973, USA) ) is an American artist who lives and works in Amsterdam. In 2004, she exhibited at the Liverpool Biennial and she currently has a solo exhibition entitled ‘Jill Magid – Libration Point’ at the Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam(until December 31, 2005).

Annie Fletcher is a critic and curator working currently in Amsterdam. She is course director for the Curatorial Training Programme of De Appel, Amsterdam, for 2005-2006 and co-curator of the ongoing performance programme ‘If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution’ in Utrecht, Den Bosch and Leiden. She is also a freelance publicist.

Moderator: Nelly Voorhuis (NL) is art historian and curator of art exhibitions and media art and avant-garde programmes in the Netherlands and abroad. She is intendant/director of Atelier HSL in Amsterdam and from January 2006 will be a visiting lecturer at the department of Cinema studies at the New York University.

Each speaker will give a short presentation about her work in relation to the subject. This will be followed by a moderated discussion in which the audience is cordially invited to participate as well.

This evening is made possible thanks to MamaCash.

SMCS on 11
SMCS on 11 is the programme of lectures, discussions, film and video presentations by Stedelijk Museum CS. The ‘11’ refers to the 11th storey of the Post CS Building, where most of the activities are held.

Newsletter
Do you want to be kept up to date with activities at SMCS on 11?