I saw a conversation on Facebook, consisting of a bunch of men slagging off this eminent British artist, Tracy Emin. The question I posed to them is, would you do the same if the artist was Damien Hirst? A small disclaimer here I have never seen any of Emin's work in the flesh , so to speak. I did see a BBC show, where she talked about a collaboration she did with Louise Bourgeois right before she died, which seemed very sensitive and interesting. Emin has risen up through the male dominated ranks as an artist ,who courts notoriety.
As I look at the distinct advantages male artists seem to have, in the history of Western art, it seems as though the women who do gain attention, use their sexuality to do so. Why not I say, whatever it takes ,until we have the luxury of being given the automatic respect for quieter work like Brice Marden or Barnett Newman. Wait I hear you say what about Agnes Martin, yes she is one of the few women that show up in a list, if you Google "artists minimalist", yes great ,one women for 14 men!
I am so sick of being in the minority in terms of representation . I am also sick of seeing the few women that do rise up to fame and fortune being slammed and critiqued way more than the men that "make it". This applies to the Hilary Clinton's, the Lena Dunham's, the Tracy Emin's, the fact is there are still so damn few of them, they stand out like sore thumbs. Below you will find my latest series of drawings.
