Continuing this year’s Women Pulling at the Threads of Social Discourse interview series, running alongside our gallery exhibition for the next two months. We asked the eighty (yes, eighty) artists participating in the sixth-annual edition of our textile exhibition, We Got the Power, to reflect on the themes present in our main source material (Aristophanes' Lysistrata), as well as their own relationships with the medium.
Marjolein Burbank. Courage, 2024. Freemotion stitched on rough linen. 12 x 24 inches. Available via Artsy.
Why is fiber your medium of choice?
Marjolein Burbank: I Love how versatile it is. Can be soft, or hard, can be torn, cut , folded, stitched and so much more.
Rita Valley: Partly due to the availability of so many colors, textures, prints... the sheer variety! I don't have to draw or paint all the patterns I use; I can mix and match so easily. Also, fabrics and textiles and fibers are so sensual. They all have different "feels".
Janet M Mueller: Fiber can be used to create paintings or sculptures and is lightweight.
Adriana Carvalho: Generally I prefer working with metal because the fibers have memory and can be extraordinarily delicate, yet keeps its form.
As long as we act together we can change the world , I still believe this.
— Marjolein Burbank
What was your introduction to fiber art?
MP: If wearing the clothes my mother stitched for me doesn't count, it was at high school; textile art classes.
RV: My mother worked as a maker of slipcovers and draperies. The house was always full of interesting textiles... but when I was younger, I never wanted to sew! I trained to be a painter until one day, a light went off and I was like, "Aha! Color, patterns, textures.. they're all here!"
JMM: I learned to sew in grade school and worked in a fabric store after class in high school.
AC: My main medium was working with metal but during the time of being in isolation I started to work with yarn which also felt like it was a natural medium in which to create.
Who inspires you?
MP: This is too difficult to answer. Almost anyone who stitches through paper or fabric.
RV: Artists who use words and text! Jefferey Gibson (this year's representative at the Venice Biennale) uses text- his work is amazing! I've always liked Ed Ruscha's work. But really? I'm inspired by anyone working hard at whatever they do- landscape painter, video artist, steel sculptor. As long as I feel they're wonderfully engaged!
JMM: I am inspired by artists who push the limits of creativity.
AC: German artist, Gego because I am drawn to her constructions in space with wire that incorporates both transparency and balance.
"BVE" (Big Vage Energy) is a nod to all the powerful women out there who don't take shit and get things done.
— Rita Valley
What was your reaction to this year’s call for submissions? Can you elaborate on why?
MP: Since I have participated before, and have seen the wonderful art pieces you have exhibited , I hesitated . But once I read more about the subject and the play, I was happy to start my piece.
RV: I laughed and I thought, "Great! There's so much conflict and strife in the world. Maybe we need an alternative approach to solving problems!" I recall reading Lysistrata in college and remembered the basic premise.
JMM: I like the reference to the power of women.
AC: It is a challenge to create meaningful and inspiring artwork, and I believe these sorts of themed exhibitions help us to define what makes us tick and why. It is like a personal and educational journey.
Tell us about your piece for We Got the Power, and what it means to you.
MP: It is inspired by the mothers, now grandmothers of plaza de Mayo, Argentina. They are the mothers and grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, and they are there to bring attention to the kidnapping of their children by Argentina's brutal military dictatorship.
These women have not given up their quest for answers.
RV: We've all heard of "BDE" (Big Dick Energy). My piece is a direct response. "BVE" (Big Vage Energy) is a nod to all the powerful women out there who don't take shit and get things done, be they artists or politicians or teachers or astronauts. I like to think I have Big Vage Energy!
JMM: Lysistrata is a fictional woman from ancient Greek folklore. She led the crusade to stop the war between Athens and Sparta by getting women from both cities to agree to withhold sex from their husbands until the men quit fighting. With courage and determination, women can conquer their dreams.
AC: The triptych is based on the mission of Vandana Shiva in which she explains non-gmo seeds are the foundation of our health. And as we now know our leaders have been corrupted by corporate power so I feel it is imperative we educate ourselves on what prevents disease and chronic illness. I use the iconic image of women's panties because they are quintessentially female, and a poignant and whimsical gateway to drive home we are what we eat.
With a strong will, a loving heart and a carefully planned strategy, a woman has the power to effect change.
— Janet M Mueller
What does your piece respond to, both in the context of the play and in society?
MP: I have focused on the play The divided chorus of old men vs old women
RV: I think the (sub)title of this show sums it up, "We Got the Power". A bit over 1/2 of the population of this country is women and if we use it wisely we DO have the power!
JMM: My piece is a contemporary model of a reclining Lysistrata. Her legs and genitalia are made from the lines in the peace symbol. The blue and white stripes reference the Greek flag.The figure in my piece is created with simple, modern shapes rather than in the style of ancient Greece. Old or new, the artwork shows peace, not war.
AC: As in the play women fought to stop war by withholding sex from the men, and so I want the piece to represent women fighting a war against GMOs .
Adriana Carvalho. Tryptich; Planting Seeds, 2024. Aluminum fiber, wire, enamel paint, plastic, felt and paper. Available via Artsy.
How do you hope viewers will respond to your piece?
MP: I hope they see this story in it ( without reading the caption) and see the power.
RV: I hope they laugh (as I purposely used humor in my work, often to broach uncomfortable subjects) but then I hope the viewer reflects on just what BVE might mean to the in their own lives
JMM: I would like viewers to see the image as a reclining nude whose legs and genitalia are made from the lines of the peace symbol.
AC: Well, maybe ask why I chose seeds as the theme of the artwork...that is half the battle.
I use the iconic image of women's panties because they are quintessentially female, and a poignant and whimsical gateway to drive home we are what we eat.
— Adriana Carvalho
Do you believe that women do have the power to effect change? How?
MP: As long as we act together we can change the world , I still believe this. Even the 'silence' of exhibitions like you are organizing , will affect the viewers. Thanks for that.
RV: I can't wait to say, "Madame President!!" Absolutely women have the power to bring about change; our country has been ruled by men for it's entire history and look where it's gotten us. (Men still have final say over a woman's body?!??!?) Please, let's correct that along with so many other complicated issues. Women have been focused on working together and cooperating for a long time (for better or worse) that maybe those abilities can help bridge some divides and foster a more supportive environment!
JMM: Women do not need to appear manly and physically strong to be leaders. We are not controlled and distracted by sex like so many men.Our strength is internal. We are intuitive and passionate. We are caregivers and hard workers. With a strong will, a loving heart and a carefully planned strategy, a woman has the power to effect change.
AC: Women have a distinct role, that which men do not generally possess, that is empathy as a nurturer. Women have the power to change the way we live by educating and physically choosing what we put into our body's.
