This text will be the first upload at the European Feminist Forum website, where we will continue our blog as soon as the website is ready. The link is:
http://europeanfeministforum.org
Switch metaphors
About feminism and art, queer and trans / gender activism
Carla Cruz (PT), Nina Höchtl (AT), Suzanne van Rossenberg (NL) and Francesco Ventrella (IT) propose a discussion about the question if (and how) art can be a tool for unravelling or subverting hetero-normative power structures in society. Each in her/his own practices (both artistic and curatorial) we are faced to deal with the constructed parameters that determine (our) art, and find ways to work with them, avoid them or redefine them. This choice ultimately has an influence on our (economical) position in different art scenes.
As we agree that artistic strategies produce knowledge, we believe it’s important we read other feminists’ strategies, and they read, discuss and fight ours. In order to do this, we think real life AG meetings and presentations in different contexts are the best. On the 31st of March Carla, Nina and Suzanne already presented one of their works in a “cyberfeminist” context. For 2007 we plan probably two more AG meetings. In Rome we will do a presentation in Francesco’s No Entertainment at All!, a research based performance project in collaboration with 1:1projects.
Newcomers can join our meetings, or invite us for a presentation or discussion!
The other way we share artistic strategies and discuss the topics is by emailing, websites, blogs, IM and Skype. Newcomers can react on our products at the EFF website in whatever form they prefer. If you wish to become participatory in the AG (and interested in discussing the topics we address), please write an email to Suzanne. From this we can start telling each other stories about our artistic strategies and explain each other how we each take accountability for our fiction (painting, performances, writing, curating, community art, etc.) from commissioned to self-funded, from invisible to commercial.
Our virtual and real life encounters will determine the form of our discussion at the EFF in 2008.
More about/from us:
http://allmyindependentwomen.blogspot.com
http://www.carlacruz.pt.to
http://www.trans-genderplatform.nl
http://www.suzannevanrossenberg.nl
http://www.1to1projects.org
About past forward, the cyberfeminist exhibition and real life meeting in Vienna:
http://cyberatvbko.blogspot.com
http://www.vbkoe.org/cyber_feminism_past_forward.htm
