Wednesday 25 September 2013

Feminist graphic arts exhibtion

This Saturday, I'm participating in a group exhibition about feminist graphic artists as well as giving a talk about my art at The Feminist Library. The title of the exhibition is 'I call myself a feminist because...' and there will be a zine making workshop, talks about things like Jewish women's comics, films and food.

In most circumstances, being asked to justify why I'm a feminist annoys the shit out of me because it is so fundamental to the way I view the world. But this seems like a great opportunity to have a dialogue about intersectionality and how feminism can't just be about fighting to increase the power and privilege of individual women.

To illustrate this, I've hand painted a new version of the posters I designed for the Fattylympics, an event that set out from the start to challenge the fat oppression, homophobia, transphobia and ablism that are part and parcel of the Olympics. This was one of many projects where I've collaborated with activists fighting against a variety of oppressions.

I will be talking about the different ways I've used my art and creativity to complement my own and other people's activism. One of the original Fattylympics posters will also be included in a zine produced just for the exhibition.

The posters were all designed to be black and white outlines and people were encouraged to colour them in. This was the first time I coloured one in and I wanted to try to make the people look as much like people I know in real life as possible. So everyone has what would be considered flaws by the norms but are part of what make them more interesting and human.

In addition to the very evident body hair, he has a farmer's tan from all the time he spends outdoors helping his niece and nephew learn to appreciate dirt and nature, showing them that it's possible to live a more exciting life than the one their boring, protective suburban parents have shown them.

Her ginger hair and fair skin make her prone to blotchy red skin, especially on her chest. Or maybe it's just the fact that she and the photographer have the serious hots for each other and she's having filthy thoughts about what could happen after the photo shoot.

She's got something lots of older women have to deal with; spider veins. Does that mean she's going to stop wearing the skirts and dresses she's had since the early days of punk? Hell no (even though she'd be the first to admit that post-punk was when things got good).

Their mother always warned, 'use cocoa butter or you'll get ashy'. But if one thing has become clear, it's that they will never live up to their mother's beauty ideals. Besides, riding a bike in all weather negates the effects of cocoa butter pretty quickly.

Here is a gratuitous shot of their eyes and hat, which I'm particularly proud of. And make sure you come see it in person at the exhibition on Saturday!

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