Neko Case @NekoCase
''Just got trolled by 3 bots horrified of a drawing of period blood. They found THIS joyful drawing threatening. Therein lay the power. Well done, Liv Stromquist!''
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| Liv Stromquist and her work at the Slussen station, Stockholm |
''Joyful indeed. Would it be disrespectful to Liv Stromquist if I turned her art into a clock?''
From Stockholm The Local reported, works by artist Liv Strömquist have gone on display at the Slussen station in the south of the Swedish capital.Her black and white images depict birds, cats, and trees, as well as
nude men, and women who are shown both with unshaven legs and ice
skating while menstruating. The red patches are the only spots of colour
in the paintings..
Not that everyone got as amused as Neko Case and David Carroll.RT reported, Reactions since the images were put up in late September have varied – from urban indifference, to tourist picture-taking, to upset commuters posting on social media to signal their displeasure. One Twitter user said that it’s “not enough to just get periods, now you have to stare at them in the subway,” while another complained that the posters forced them to explain periods to their alarmed four-year old. Someone simply called the images “disgusting.”
RT also added Liv Stromquist saying, "This discussion always comes when I exhibit my art, because it's a taboo in society and evokes strong emotions," she told national broadcaster Sverige Radio. “I’ve
not commented on the discussion, and it’s not my place to give
judgments to my own art… I’m very excited that some people have enjoyed
it.”
If we compare the age and 'excitement' of 39 year old Liv Stromquist with the recently recognised American artists Carolee Schneemann, Betty Tompkins Judith Bernstein, Juanita McNeely, Joan Semmel known together as the “blood and guts club” or the “black sheep feminists” all in their 70s or 80s, we can sense a relatively younger public arguements around body art in Scandinavian countries.After getting the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement in this year Venice Biennale at 78, Carolee Schneemann felt 'depressed'. Louise Bourgeois, who only had her first retrospective in 1982, after she turned 70, or the painter Carmen Herrera, who recently had her retrospective at the Whitney at the age of 101.
In New York Times, about the American bunch, ''these women’s work might be as uncompromising as it ever was, but age, they know, has also neutralized them in men’s eyes, removed some of their sting and danger. Now that they’re postmenopausal, their sexual disobedience doesn’t matter as much to men, who “don’t want to sleep with us anymore,” Schneemann says.“We’re not as threatening as younger women,” says Bernstein.
Stockholm subway system has been called 'the world's longest art gallery',
with more than 90 of the network's 100 stations decorated with
sculptures, rock formations, mosaics, paintings, installations,
engravings and reliefs by over 150 different artists.
Not that everyone got as amused as Neko Case and David Carroll.RT reported, Reactions since the images were put up in late September have varied – from urban indifference, to tourist picture-taking, to upset commuters posting on social media to signal their displeasure. One Twitter user said that it’s “not enough to just get periods, now you have to stare at them in the subway,” while another complained that the posters forced them to explain periods to their alarmed four-year old. Someone simply called the images “disgusting.”
If we compare the age and 'excitement' of 39 year old Liv Stromquist with the recently recognised American artists Carolee Schneemann, Betty Tompkins Judith Bernstein, Juanita McNeely, Joan Semmel known together as the “blood and guts club” or the “black sheep feminists” all in their 70s or 80s, we can sense a relatively younger public arguements around body art in Scandinavian countries.After getting the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement in this year Venice Biennale at 78, Carolee Schneemann felt 'depressed'. Louise Bourgeois, who only had her first retrospective in 1982, after she turned 70, or the painter Carmen Herrera, who recently had her retrospective at the Whitney at the age of 101.
In New York Times, about the American bunch, ''these women’s work might be as uncompromising as it ever was, but age, they know, has also neutralized them in men’s eyes, removed some of their sting and danger. Now that they’re postmenopausal, their sexual disobedience doesn’t matter as much to men, who “don’t want to sleep with us anymore,” Schneemann says.“We’re not as threatening as younger women,” says Bernstein.
Liv's works on display at Stockhom Metro and Carolee's retrospective taking place at New Yorks MoMA, for sure that both with menstruation and menopause the girl power has lifted up on some parts of the planet.
The committee of public transport company SL, deciding on the posters for Stockholm Metro stations has said that Stromquist’s work “celebrates the human body in all of its shapes and forms,” and does not plan to remove it prior to the scheduled date of August, next year.On we go to Stockholm!
Choyon Khairul Habib
11/09/17
Brittany, France
Source :Twitter, The Local(Stockholm), RT, Twisted Sifter, Wikipedia, New York Times
