Happy New Year, everyone! I can’t believe that it’s 2024 already! As always, new year, new me. This time, I’ll be reflecting on something different, a topic that’s both unique and controversial: The history of feminism.

This project was my last winter exhibition. Nevertheless, I showed up full of excitement and left with no regrets. As I’ve mentioned already, this project is all about feminism. Nowadays, youngsters tend to think of feminism as a form of degeneracy. An opposing trend has been taking control through the influence of the internet and social media. People began to “embrace masculinity” and pushed back against feminist groups. Today, I would like to open up a new conversation and hopefully give you a new perspective on women’s rights through conceptual arts.

Yes, you heard it right. Not only will I be yapping about feminism, but conceptual arts as well. Just in case you’re still reading this, here is the driving question of this project:

How can we use conceptual art to portray feminist ideas and their influence on society?

The power of conceptual art lies in its ability to communicate ideas without barriers. People can interpret it however they want and see what they want to see. The artist designs the theme, and the audience looks for the message. This form of medium fits seamlessly with the topic we are tackling, overcoming people’s bias towards feminism with the help of creativity.

The definition of feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. However, each wave of feminism has a unique style and advocates for different rights. The first wave of feminism focused on election rights, the second wave fought for body rights and workplace equality, the third wave fought for gender identity, and the fourth wave built on top of previous waves. Many people do not know about the history of women’s rights, and even less can fully understand the significance of each wave. Being born into the era of ripened fruits, we take a lot of things for granted. If not for those empowering women who have protested during the first two waves, the destiny of women today would be in the kitchen.

To fully understand feminist ideas, we were each assigned a feminist dystopia novel to analyze its message. My book is called Vox by Christina Dalcher. The story unfolded in modern society, where women are not allowed to speak more than 100 words daily. The main character, Jean, was politically inactive before the “Pure Party” was elected. She never spoke up for herself; as a result, her voice was taken away. As the story developed deeper, we gained an insight into how fragile women are in our society. Not only is Vox a feminist dystopia, it is a tale of oppression. The author reminds us of the danger of underlying threats that could potentially take over and become unstoppable.

 

 

 

After researching and analyzing each wave of feminism and different feminist ideas, it’s time to connect it to the modern world and build the conceptual art piece. As usual, with my dad’s unlimited budget, I got my hands on a bunch of useful equipment at Micheal’s. (70$) Here is the final product:

Through interpretation, this art piece answers the driving question. Each step on the ladder represents a different wave of feminism and its advocacy. Each step has a unique item which corresponds to their achievements. To highlight the fact that the fourth wave is still ongoing, I put a dressed-up doll on the handle of the ladder. This doll is on the verge of falling, yet still reaching for the perfect state of equality within our society. One step at a time, we get closer to perfection and closer to falling off. Thus, the name Perfection Equilibrium has been established. Through visual and auditory experience, this art piece reminds us of where we came from and where we are now. Many basic civil rights, such as birth control or election rights, were once a dream for many. Overall, my creation serves as a reminder of the greatness we could achieve through collaboration. If you want to check out the rest of my group’s projects, feel free to click on their names: Keenan, Dries, and Logan.

Artist statement:

Reflection:

This is my first-ever conceptual art project, and there’s definitely space for improvement. For instance, my artist statement wasn’t written until my physical art was finished. It would’ve been more beneficial if I had done the thinking beforehand instead of making up an explanation after creating the prototype. Some audience members pointed out to me that one of the hands should be white and that Ying-Yang should be used to symbolize gender equality. Many details could have been more meaningful if I had a clear message in mind. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the book I was assigned, and I value the time I’ve spent on this project. 

Thank you for your time, and I’ll see you in the next post.