AN ARTIST’S PERSPECTIVE
JULY 2016
CURATORS Gutfreund Cornett Art
JURORS Michelle Nye, Program Manager SFMOMA Artists Gallery and Suzanne Gray, Seagar Gray Gallery
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS Presented at Kaleid Gallery, San Jose by Gutfreund Cornett Art with UniteWomen.org
EVENT PAGE More Information
JUROR STATEMENT
It was a distinct pleasure to review the artworks submitted for Vision: An Artist’s Perspective, as there were many compelling entries. The three artworks chosen were well executed and thought provoking, capturing the imagination with humor, beauty and depth. Each work spoke on many levels and could inspire pages of reflection and inquiry. Below are just a few reasons why these three pieces strongly resonated with me.
For “Cleanse and Exfoliate” the quirky vessel’s organic and biological form contrasts with its woven artificial materials, deftly speaking to a range of issues surrounding women’s bodies, beauty ideals, environmental pollution, consumerism and the history of women’s craft and art. In “Disorder” everyday kitchen objects dramatically explode. The result is captivating, eliciting a powerful mix of associates including the rejection of traditional roles of women, the trauma of domestic violence, and the terrorizing impact of war and suicide bombers when they strike so close to home. With “You Stupid Cunt” we are seduced and affronted in equal measure. The alluring Victorian styled wall paper evokes traditional female roles of home-maker and sex object, especially when looking closely at the vulva shaped pattern. Juxtaposed is the incessantly repeated and ornately scripted word ‘cunt,’ inviting contemplation on issues such as the insidious aggression towards women and the pervasive objectification and domination of women’s bodies.
Many thanks to Karen Gutfreund and Sherri Cornett of Gutfreund Cornett Art for the opportunity to review this exhibition and heartfelt thanks to each artist for contributing vital perspectives on such an interesting range of women’s issues.
-Michelle Nye
SPECIAL RECOGNITION EXHIBITION SELECTIONS
EXHIBITION THEME
Envision, conceive of, imagine . . . In this turbulent time of political changes, women’s rights, social, racial, gender and economic inequality, global conflicts, cultural instability, reproductive choice/health care issues, and environmental challenges of overconsumption and resource scarcity – how do we effect positive change through art? How do we listen, speak our minds, include, and act in collaboration or alone across generational differences, races, identities and cultures, to build our future, locally and globally?
VISION seeks to bring self-identified women artists into dialogue, retracing an account of the past manifesting in the present, to address major social themes, to define and bring forth what is important to themselves, their families, their communities, our nation and the world at large with art that either reflects on past injustices or focuses on a vision for a more positive, empowering future.
UniteWomen.org and Gutfreund Cornett Art ask self-identified women artists to respond to and take an active role in this conversation, to create an exhibition in all mediums and genres, art that ranges from literal to poetic, abstract to representational, and psychological, to social and political commentary, art that represents the prismatic, collective vision for our future, that inspires communities and provides a framework for true innovation in our time.
