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From a broader perspective, Queer Theory and Feminist Theory concurrently are ‘central to the making, interpretation, and display’ of contemporary art (p3, Jones, 2015) because, as Terry Barrett argues, gender is a ‘primary factor in how we perceive the world and understand art’ (p47, 1994). An example of a cultural movement for the LGBTQI+ community within the contemporary art industry is Queer-Art which provides a voice for those who have been ‘historically suppressed, disenfranchised’ (2009) and is therefore challenging the patriarchal system. An example of a feminist movement is Women Artists in Revolution (WAR) which promulgated a form of activism for the augmentation of female artists to be represented as they have previously been ‘marginalized by the male-dominance’ of the artworld (Swartz, 2011). Both of these social and political movements have made historical accomplishments as cultural influences in the ecology of art institution via demonstrations, petitions and protests by collectively sharing influences for a common objective for equal rights in society.

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In addition, because the art institutions such as Tate is often recognised as the epitome of ‘official Western culture’ (Confino, 2012) it establishes the ideologies and standards of contemporary society. This has repercussions including how it ‘reinforces cultural stereotypes but also strengthens gender behaviour patterns’ (p47, Sepúlveda and Calado, 2012). This has a correlation to the Maskulinitäten exhibition (Birkenstock, et al, 2019) and my practice, specifically Gender: Objectification vs Empowerment (2020) (Figure 1) because they are both making a microcosmic critique of the representation in the cultural industries which are still heavily male dominated. This emphasises how imperative these queer and feminist lead organizations/movements such as Queer-Art and Women Artists in Revolution (WAR) regarding representation and equality.

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References

1. Barrett, T. 1994. Criticizing Art- Understanding the Contemporary. Second Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.

2. Birkenstock, E., Cotton, M. and Dietrich, N. 2019. Maskulinitäten [Exhibition]. 01 September -24 November. Kölnischer, Bonner and Düsseldorf: Kunstverein.

3. Confino, J. 2012. Tino Sehgal's Tate Modern exhibition metaphor for dematerialisation. The Guardian. [Online]. 05 October. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/tino-sehgal-tate-modern-exhibition-metaphor-dematerialisation. [Accessed 18 Dec 2020].

4. Jones, A. 2015. Sex and the (Art history) Academy. Perspective. 2, pp1-4.

5. Queer-Art. 2009. About. Queer-Art. [Online]. Available from: https://www.queer-art.org/about [Accessed 29 April 2021].

6. Sepúlveda, A. R. and Calado, M. 2012. Westernization: The Role of Mass Media on Body Image and Eating Disorders. In: Lobera, I.J. ed. Relevant topics in Eating Disorders. Croatia: InTech, pp.47-64.

7. Swartz, A. 2011. Women Artists in Revolution. Grove Art Online. [Online]. 27 November. Available from: https://www.oxfordartonline.com/groveart/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7002214396?rskey=ctSiGn [Accessed 29 April 2021].

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