From shouting to sublety : why feminist art needs a new direction

Abstract

Feminist art originated during the beginning of the second wave of feminism, starting in the late 1960s. In this time, women began to mobilize and speak out against many of the oppressive issues that women had long endured, voiceless. Feminist artists contributed to this shift with their unique, subjective, often radical viewpoints, and forms of expression that challenged male domination norms and styles of being. Facing a long history of oppression, many feminist artists of this time responded with anger and shock value in their art. In the fifty years since feminist art, feminist artists have reflected upon the nature of effective art. In a changed social climate and a more subtle set of issues to face, feminist artists should focus on creating high quality, beautiful, multi-dimensional art that interacts with the viewer in more subtle ways. As feminist artists move forward, we should use the technologies and networking tools at our disposal and attempt to create art that challenges the still prevalent oppressive norms and belief systems, while holding the highest degree of originality in terms of quality aesthetic.