Guerrilla Girls Exhibit at Rutgers

This past Tuesday, I headed up to New Brunswick to see an art exhibit with @mswas and @yuricon. Surprising in a number of ways, not least of which was seeing @mswas so soon after attending a concert in Asbury together, I not only enjoyed the exhibit but, more important, loved the discussion these images produced both during our time there and at lunch afterwards.

Entitled “Feminist Masked Avengers: 30 Early Guerrilla Girls’ Posters” and presented by The Feminist Art Project at Rutgers (my alma mater), this small exhibition included posters, books, and videos produced by all incarnations of Guerrilla Girls over 3 decades.  If you’re unfamiliar with this activist group but you know me well, you won’t require a long explanation of their cause.  Founded in 1985, this group of masked women sought to spotlight gender inequality in art, theater, film, and pop culture through various printed media and live performances.

Upon entering the exhibit, visitors are met with a huge poster touting facts about the Oscars.  I immediately pointed out that one fact was wrong; in 2010, Kathryn Bigelow won Best Director for The Hurt Locker. @yuricon responded that she never watched the Oscars which to me seemed like refusing to watch the moon landing, but I know nothing about her area of expertise (Japanese animation and comics) either.  After some thought in front of this huge poster, I realized that the Oscars have been around for over 80 years and it took that long for a woman to be recognized as Best Director.

I think the Guerrilla Girls would say their poster succeeded.

Directly across from that was a poster for The Birth of Feminism starring Pam Anderson, Halle Berry, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.  A history of feminism as only Jerry Bruckheimer and Joe Eszterhus could do it, this movie promised that “They made women’s rights look good.  Really good.”  Zeta-Jones is one of my least favorite actresses, and the other names mentioned in the credits aren’t exactly trailblazers either, although it would be mildly amusing to see Rosie O’Donnell as Betty Friedan.

Somewhere, Bella Abzug is laughing.

As tempting as it would be to recount all the stats from the years of Bush I and Bush II and point out that women artists fare no better in Europe than they do here in the States, I’d rather urge you to visit the show and find out for yourself!  When you go, don’t skip the “video room”.  There are a number of videos you can view on small screens with headphones, but I particularly enjoyed the interview piece projected on the wall of this room.  @yuricon may not find performance art appealing, but I’m a sucker for a play with a message, and since the Guerrilla Girls rarely tour, it’s a chance to see what they are like when they perform.

This exhibit at the Mason Gross School of the Arts Galleries in downtown New Brunswick runs through June 18, 2011 and is free to the public.  Below you can see Erica and Bonnie (my partners in crime) in the galleries as well as the last poster on display as you leave … gives you something to discuss over lunch!