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P.S.1 Newspaper

2008 Spring

WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution

Alanna Heiss, Director, P.S.1; Connie Butler, Curator, WACK!

What does it mean when an exhibition receives accolades from both Time Magazine (online) and the American Association of Art Critics in the same year? On the one hand, it means a couple of art critics liked it, and on the other, it seems to mean that something is up in the culture more broadly, in a year in which we might actually have our first female presidential nominee. This past year has seen an unprecedented number of exhibitions and activities on the subject of feminist art, not the least of which was full coverage by all the major art magazines, and what Griselda Pollock recently effused was the first feminist Documenta. Art and gender, sex and art, sexual politics and visual and activist practices are now common lacunae in exhibitions of all kinds. So what has made it possible for this previously marginalized subject to grab the spotlight? How will the influence of this work manifest itself in the work of an emerging generation of artists? Can the art world accommodate the fever pitch? Is the current interest part of a broader resituating of the history of the 1960s and 1970s within the current discourses of contemporary art?

It is with great pleasure and anticipation that P.S.1 presents WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution this winter. An international survey of 120 artists, collectives and collaborations, the exhibition includes over four hundred works in all media and covers the period 1965-80. While over the years P.S.1 has included the work of many of these artists in its exhibitions, this occasion provides an opportunity to look at simultaneous feminisms internationally. Organized thematically rather than chronologically, the exhibition highlights a diversity of practices, but also a dialogue about issues of gender and art, and the intersection of both.

Because of the unique architectural features of P.S.1—the space is divided into many different galleries­—the exhibition will be less of a narrative and more about individual artists. It highlights the different techniques, stylistic tendencies and strategies that intersect with feminism in various ways. In the end, it’s an exhibition about individuals and individual practices. We have attempted to deepen the representation of certain artists and bodies of work for the presentation at P.S.1. Additionally, the range of performances, discussions, interventions and talks taking place until March 16th will enliven both the context of the exhibition and engage a younger generation of artists with the issues and work at hand. This edition of the P.S.1 Newspaper provides an opportunity to learn more about selected artists from the exhibition. It is dedicated to recent interviews focusing not only on their recollections of the 1970s and 80s, but on how their understanding of those times has developed and changed, especially in light of the last year of exhibitions and programs addressing feminism and feminist art.

We are grateful to the artists for their enthusiasm and support for the P.S.1 presentation of the exhibition. P.S.1 has always been a laboratory for the most provocative and thoughtful contemporary art, and we are delighted to bring this exhibition to a New York audience.