HISTORICAL FEMINIST PHOTOGRAPHERS
So often, the media, in its many forms, plays the role of enemy to feminism. This trend dates back years to the feminist movement, when newspapers would label feminists as “monsters”, and publishers would force magazines aimed at keeping women in the house down their throats. Despite this disparity to the cause, another form of mass communication prevails as one of feminism’s greatest heroes: photography. The visual art form has been a place of expression and declaration for decades in the fight for gender equality.
Photography is an easily accessible medium that appeals to many and can be received by all. The feminist movement of the late 60’s is widely credited with the birth of feminism photography and art, but their were many behind-the-lens soldiers that were fighting the good fight long before this. Julia Margaret Cameron was one of the first women to produce photographs in the 1800’s, and Tina Modotti and Diane Arbus, who followed Cameron, took photographs that stood for freedom and diversity. Without the examples these women and many others like them set, the art form would look very different today. Here are some women that used photography as a tool for the exposure and fight of feminism, alongside some of their most influential work:
Hannah Wilke
Hannah Wilke, a photographer in the 60’s, did much more than just click a button. A strong believer in the work she was doing, Wilke constantly attended lectures on women’s photography and art and taught many classes throughout her career. She was also a writer and produced many influential pieces throughout her career. A particular series that she became known for was her “S.O.S.” work, where she satirically posed as a 1950’s pin-up girl with chewed up gum covering her body to symbolize the manner in which women were treated: chewed up, thrown out, and replaced by another piece.
Sanja Iveković
Sanja Iveković is a Croatian photographer known for her work in feminism. Iveković understood the power of media to create an identity for its audience. She used photography, video, and multimedia work to express her thoughts on the matter, often directly addressing a time-relevant issue.
Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman is a particularly powerful artist, due in part to her own tragic story. Woodman was born into a family of artists, and her family always encouraged her artistic talent and aspirations. Her education was all geared towards photography, but the work she produced could never have been anticipated. Francesca used herself and other models to visually portray her thoughts and emotions on gender and self-identity. Her work was very dark and mostly misunderstood during her time. This lead the artist to a lot of self-doubt, ultimately leading to her suicide death at the age of twenty two.
Sources:
https://www.widewalls.ch/artist/francesca-woodman/ https://www.widewalls.ch/feminist-photography-heroines/ http://www.hannahwilke.com/id5.html https://www.1fmediaproject.net/2011/12/18/sanja-ivekovic%CC%81-sweet-violence-moma/ http://artfcity.com/2011/01/21/the-woodmans-at-film-forum-2/
