[←] Hans Bellmer – Bound (1959); [→] Ana Mendieta – Untitled {Guanaroca [First Woman]} (1981)

I have been watching from the sidelines and even occasionally wading into the melee on the topic of the responsibilities of art and makers of art in this time and place.

It’s not that I think it’s an unimportant conversation–it’s crucial. I just don’t really understand why every time we have this conversation, it seems like it’s the first time we’re having it.

I fancy myself a bit of a curatrix–y’all likely see me as a snobby poseur; still, I’ve been thinking about Bellmer in the context of Ana Mendieta and vice versa.

The idea has sort of gotten stuck in my head that not only are they fascinating artists to juxtapose–like I could put together an entire exhibit just on the interplay between their respective deployment of gender symbolism.

However, beyond even that, I think it’s interesting the way they both strove to stand against the prevailing ethos of their time without buying into an either/or arch- dichotomy.

I sort of envision an exhibition that is a joint retrospective of their respective bodies of work presented side by side. Call it something like RESIST! Hegemony.

Alas, I don’t have the clout or gallery connections to do this and I don’t know that there’s enough critical work to back my thesis–although my gut says that there’s plenty, I’m just not yet familiar with it.

Would anyone be interested in potentially seeing such an exhibit even if it’s only ever lives on this blog?