Seiko Mikami (1961 – 2015) was a Japanese artist known for her large-scale installations. I had the opportunity to experience her work at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, when I visited Japan last year. Upon entry I encountered, Scale (1993), an installation consisting of a set of bathroom scales with a large number of… Continue reading MIKAMI Seiko and the abject
Author: Louise Hill
Help Beautify Junkyards. Throw Something Lovely Away Today!
“There’s a wonderful sign hanging on a Toronto junkyard which reads: “Help beautify junkyards—throw something lovely away today.” And this is a very effective way of getting people to notice a lot of things.” — Marshall McLuhan In his 1964 work, The Medium is the Message, Marshall McLuhan argues that the way a story is… Continue reading Help Beautify Junkyards. Throw Something Lovely Away Today!
Justene Williams
Justene Williams, is an contemporary Australian artist who makes her large-scale immersive works, using multi-channel video installations, photography and performance. Through challenging social norms, using of found objects and waste materials, collage and photomontage she work draws on Dadaist principles of to create sensory and layered experiences.
Ana Mendieta
Ana Mendieta was born in Cuba in 1948. Her father, Ignacio Mendieta, was a lawyer who had worked with the FBI during World War II. In 1960 he became involved in an uprising against Fidel Castro and was concerned for the safety of his family. At 12, Ana Mendieta and her older sister were sent… Continue reading Ana Mendieta
Judy Chicago
When Judy Chicago was a student at UCLA in the late 1950s, she took a class called “Intellectual History or Europe,” where her male professor declared that women had made zero contributions to European history. Aware of how little Chicago to start what would become a lifelong passion to find the incredible women of history… Continue reading Judy Chicago
Hannah Wilke
Hannah Wilke was among the first Artists to incorporate vaginal imagery into her work. During the 1970s, she used her own body to create “performalist self-portraits.” Her work “S.O.S. – Starification Object Series” from 1974 to 1982, critiqued the commodification of women’s bodies. During performances, she collected chewed gum from the audience, shaping it into… Continue reading Hannah Wilke
Carolee Schneemann
Anthony McCall, thirteen photographs of Carolee Schneemann, Interior Scroll, 1975. Stockholm: Moderna Museet. © Carolee Schneemann. Photo: Estate of Carolee Schneemann/Galerie Lelong & Co./Hales Gallery/PPOW Gallery. Challenging the way that women’s Art was systematically reduced and dismissed by the patriarchal structures in the Art world, Carolee Shneeman performed her piece Interior Scroll in 1975 and… Continue reading Carolee Schneemann
Yoko Ono
Judy (Judith Darragh, my handshake mentor), has suggested I take a look at a series of performance Artists who deal with the body and a piece that I find meaningful. I am starting with the incredible Yoko Ono. Ono’s work often questioned the division between art and the everyday. She fought against her… Continue reading Yoko Ono
Tick tock… you don’t stop,
I’ve read that as an artist, you should just never stop making. Then you don’t have to start again. An art practice needs to be practiced. …but I stopped for summer. Life happens, school holidays happen and here we are, end of February, getting started again. When I look backwards, there are starting points everywhere. … Continue reading Tick tock… you don’t stop,
Introducing the ‘Fat Chat,’
I often listen to audio books during the long days of making in my studio. I’ve also been working to lift my parenting game (which often looks like an attempt at creating the kiwi version of ‘Bad mom’s.’) It was in this vein that I listened to, ‘How to Raise Girls Who Like Themselves,’ by… Continue reading Introducing the ‘Fat Chat,’