ARTISTS
The Un-heroic Act: Representations of Rape in Contemporary Women鈥檚 Art in the U.S.
The Un-Heroic Act is a concentrated survey of works by a diverse roster of artists representing three generations 鈥� and including Jenny Holzer, Suzanne Lacy, Ana Mendieta, Senga Nengudi, Yoko Ono, and Kara Walker 鈥� which aims to fill a gap in the history of art, where the subject of rape has been represented by countless historical depictions by male artists, called 鈥榟eroic acts鈥� by Susan Brownmiller. What makes women鈥檚 works radically different is the focus not on the action or drama, but on the lasting psychological devastation of the victim: her suffering, silence, shame, and loneliness. Recent works also address regaining control over the victim鈥檚 sexuality and psyche and reclaiming the cultural narrative. Often strikingly beautiful, these works are rarely shown or their true meaning is obscured.
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The Un-Heroic Act is a concentrated survey of works by a diverse roster of artists representing three generations 鈥� and including Jenny Holzer, Suzanne Lacy, Ana Mendieta, Senga Nengudi, Yoko Ono, and Kara Walker 鈥� which aims to fill a gap in the history of art, where the subject of rape has been represented by countless historical depictions by male artists, called 鈥榟eroic acts鈥� by Susan Brownmiller. What makes women鈥檚 works radically different is the focus not on the action or drama, but on the lasting psychological devastation of the victim: her suffering, silence, shame, and loneliness. Recent works also address regaining control over the victim鈥檚 sexuality and psyche and reclaiming the cultural narrative. Often strikingly beautiful, these works are rarely shown or their true meaning is obscured.
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The Un-Heroic Act: Representations of Rape in Contemporary Women鈥檚 Art in the U.S., which is reviewed in these pages by Erik La Prade, was at the Anya and Andrew Shiva Gallery, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, September 4 to November 3, 2018.
