It is no secret that early twentieth-century advertisements were less than savory in their depictions of women. Truth is: they were downright degrading, and making a joke out of women for the sake of marketing. Though these advertisements were meant to “keep women in their place”-—as some of them have captioned—they instead did the exact opposite, and has sparked a response that would lead to a major shift and a revolution in gender roles from the rise of feminism up until the current #TimesUp movement.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and InLiquid Artist Arlene Love is one such revolutionary who saw these advertisements as a fuel for the fire of her creativity. Having lived through this type of marketing when it was prevalent, these advertisements affected Arlene in a way in which she saw their problematic (and that’s putting it lightly) nature, and chose to fight back against the stereotypes that were being imposed on women.
In honor of Arlene’s work and the Feminist movement, InLiquid presents Winged Woman: The Art of Arlene Love and Contemporary Parallels at The Painted Bride.On display now, this group exhibition features a collection of work by Arlene Love and contemporary artists Makeba “KEEBS” Rainey, Lauren Rinaldi, Maria Möller, Phyllis Gorsen, and Shaina Craft. In celebration of femininity, Winged Woman is a tribute to what women have accomplished against the odds. This exhibition pairs Love’s work with the work of a new generation of women artists, currently working within the same media and thematic range as Love. The exhibition seeks to view Love’s work in a contemporary context and examine the parallels of the political climate of the 1970’s and 2018.
Accompanying this exhibition is an artist talk and lecture with Love, in which she will address the very advertisements that inspired her work as an artist and Feminist. On Friday, March 23rd, 2018, from 6-8pm at The Painted Bride, you can join Arlene and InLiquid for Artist Talk: Arlene Love on Depictions of Women in Advertisements.
For this Artist Talk, Arlene will discuss the gender constructs of her childhood and what it was like growing up in an era where the degradation of women was prevalent. Will some of the content of this talk be offensive? Most likely, yes. The advertisements in the 1950’s were shockingly and disturbingly sexist, and to address their content, Arlene is taking off the gloves to provide a raw and truthful, no-punches-pulled, discussion.
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