When discussing or challenging your views of feminist artworks, it is almost impossible to ignore the work of the Guerrilla Girls. To explain directly from their official website, "The Guerrilla Girls are feminist activist artists. Over 55 people have been members over the years, some for weeks, some for decades. Our anonymity keeps the focus on the issues, and away from who we might be. We wear gorilla masks in public and use facts, humor and outrageous visuals to expose gender and ethnic bias as well as corruption in politics, art, film, and pop culture. We undermine the idea of a mainstream narrative by revealing the understory, the subtext, the overlooked, and the downright unfair. We believe in an intersectional feminism that fights discrimination and supports human rights for all people and all genders." So it is no wonder why a feminist art blog would include the work of this amazing art group.
I will begin by saying this is the type of challenging art that makes you question what art truly means. The Guerrilla Girls have a way of challenging art, and creating pieces that are thought provoking, rather than aesthetically pleasing. For example we have the piece titled "The Advantages Of Being A Woman Artist".
I know most people will view this art and question just how relevant it is to call it art, so this is where we can dissect this. First of all this is a satirical approach to the everyday art piece, as well as the piece plays on the key principles it means to be a female artist. Most of these bullet points you will come to notice are negatives, so having the title be "Advantages" makes you realize that being a female artist is not an easy task.
The reason why the Guerrilla Girls are so important to feminist artists is that this group of people have began to shed light on the difficulties of being a woman, and also being an artist. In a way, even if they are not producing masterpieces by the classical standards, they are making it possible for younger female artists to gain the respect of the art community and be able to produce their own work.
Although their work may challenge your views, do you believe the Guerrilla Girls work is important? Is there anything in the art work you wish was more heavily challenged? Is there any feminist movements that you wish were pushed more heavily? Let me know what you think!
For more, watch this interview of the Guerrilla Girls by Stephen Colbert!