Let's continue the thread that started yesterday about exhibitions that will be opening in September in Milan and that you may want to take a note of in case you're going to the fashion week. For something colourful, inspiring and also very political and radical, check out the first solo show in an Italian institution of Andrea Bowers.
Organised by Fondazione Furla and GAM - Galleria d'Arte Moderna, "Moving in Space without Asking Permission" (at GAM from 15th September to 18th December), will focus on the artists' commitment to the struggle for gender equality and women’s emancipation.
The American artist and activist living and working in Los Angeles, combines aesthetic practices and political engagement from a feminist perspective, using a variety of techniques, including drawing, video and neon signs.
Her works investigating gender equality, women's and workers' rights, immigration, and environmentalism, are all characterized by a strong visual impact that allows her to analyse complex topics through an accessible vocabulary.
This doesn't mean that the result is superficial: Bowers' projects are indeed the result of in-depth researches. Her work is a perfect example of how art can convey socially relevant messages through the aesthetic power of its language. In her practice, art and political activism are inextricably linked: her inspirations aren't indeed art movements or famous artists, but equality, the labor movement (and in particular the struggles of women workers for equality), abortion, birth control, gun laws, the fight against racism, transphobia and xenophobia.
Nothing is neutral in Bowers' work: her pieces have indeed got a very strong political meaning and, through them, she wants to change people's minds. Recently, she has also been focusing on ecofeminism, as, in her practice, the violence against Mother Earth is seen as violence against women.
The exhibition "Moving in Space without Asking Permission" uses feminism and in particular the relationship between feminism and bodily autonomy, as the starting point. The artist is also interested in the confrontation with some of today's Italian feminist experiences, in particular the work of the philosopher and activist Alessandra Chiricosta, who studies and teaches the practice of martial arts as a form of bodily self-awareness.
Bowers' neon works like "Fight like a girl" will be included in this event that will be characterized by versatility and will also feature her works integrating colourful printed satin ribbons covered with slogans (will we see one day her ribbons turning into a dress by a famous fashion designer?)
For those who like fashion accessories, look out for "Feminist Fans", an installation featuring colourfully sprayed fans hung on one wall. Yet, in this case, these humble accessories are not just useful tools against your next heatwave, but they are actually handy vehicles to spread ideas and slogans, such as "Trust Women", "It's okay to be angry", "Dead men don't grab pussies", and "Feminists are just women who don't want to be treated like shit".
Hopefully, the exhibition will also feature her photographs of the trans activists Jennicet Gutiérrez (who challenged President Obama at an LGBT event), Johanna Saavedra (an advocate for Latina immigrants), and CeCe McDonald (who served prison time for inflicting fatal wounds in self-defense).
Andrea Bowers' event in Milan is part of the Furla Series project that, since 2017, has launched exhibitions in collaboration with major Italian art institutions, with an all-female program designed to valorize and showcase women's fundamental contribution to contemporary culture.
Image credits for this post
Andrea Bowers
Goddess (Power of the Common Public), 2016
Feathers, metal bracket and ribbons
254 x 129.5 x 30.5 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York
Andrea Bowers
Fight Like a Girl, 2021
Cardboard and color changing LED lights, acrylic gel medium
165.1 x 297.2 x 15.2 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Capitain Petzel, Berlin
Photo: Jeff McLane
Andrea Bowers
Feminist Fans (detail), 2018
Courtesy of the artist and kaufmann repetto Milan / New York
Photo: Andrea Rossetti
Andrea Bowers
Sisters Be Strong, 2013
acrylic marker on cardboard
156 x 275 x 5 cm
Courtesy of the artist and kaufmann repetto Milan / New York and Private Collection Italy
Photo: Roberto Marossi
Andrea Bowers
LIVING DEMOCRACY GROWS LIKE A TREE (Quote by Vandana Shiva), 2022
steel, neon lights
165 x 130 x 120 cm
Courtesy of the artist and kaufmann repetto Milan / New York and Private Collection Monaco
Photo: Andrea Rossetti
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