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 vulva-like sculptures and placing them on her skin, symbolising the objectification and exploitation of women. The gum stood as the perfect metaphor for an American woman: Chew her up, get what you want out of her, throw her out and pop in a new piece. The vulva-shaped gum pieces acted as scars, referencing the wounds Wilkes herself endured on the way to becoming a star. Through a series of photos, Wilke posed in ways reminiscent of fashion imagery, adorned with gum sculptures and props like sunglasses and toy guns.
She drew criticism from some feminists, due to her own attractiveness. Feminist critic Lucy Lippard expressed concern that Wilke’s own beauty blurred the lines between her roles as a flirt and feminist, artist and attractive woman. Lippard argued that Wilke’s embodiment of glamorous femininity in both her art and personal life resulted in politically ambiguous expressions, detracting from the feminist message she aimed to convey. The critique highlights the complexities for women artists producing work that is in itself beautiful, prompting a attitude that required women to make tough, rough work in order to be taken seriously.
Wilke’s was diagnosed with cancer in 1987 and created the series, “Intra-Venus,” with her husband Donald Goddard during her chemo therapy treatment. “Intra-Venus,” documented Wilkes in her exhausted, bald, swollen state from treatment, providing a stark contrast to her earlier work, for which she was criticised for her attractiveness. She continued to create art until her passing on January 28, 1993, from lymphoma in Houston, Texas.
Intra-Venus
Hannah Wilke
Jan 07 – Feb 18, 1994
Source: https://feldmangallery.com/exhibition/164-intra-venus-wilke-1-8-2-19-1994, accessed 8/6/24