The
Guerilla Girls are now profiled in a recent documentary where the ratio is a
lot higher. Hannah Wilke, Judy Chicago, Yoko Ono, Cindy Sherman, and Barbara
Kruger are among a number of influential female artists who are showcased in !Women
Art Revolution,
a feminist art documentary directed by Lynn Hershman Leeson, a
multidisciplinary artist herself.
In
partnership with Vancouver’s DOXA Documentary Film Festival, Capilano
University presented a screening of !Women Art Revolution on Jan. 24. The film,
colloquially referred to as !WAR highlights the place of feminism and social
activism in art over the last four decades.
Hershman
agrees that her film represents a vital story that needs to be heard. She says
that it details “a political movement [that] commented on the injustices of
society and sought to shirt power structures in a way that reflected social justice
and civil rights.”
The
film focuses on how feminist artistic integrity can play a vital role in this
shift towards social justice. Before the project, Hershman emphasizes, “there
really was no history in existence about this movement.” Described by the New York
Times as "passionate, contentious, funny, sincere, [and] politically
attuned,” the film itself represents a leap forward in the women’s art movement.
Based
on Hershman’s extensive body of work, a lot of connections can be made between
artistic expression and social commentary. Her art has touched on themes of
consumerism, privacy, and the comparison between reality and virtual reality.
Her inspirations drew on traditional theatrical performance and innovative
installation art. Due to the highly experimental nature of her work, it was not
always easy finding an audience.
This
film is no different: “Independent films and those especially about social
issues have a tough time reaching a large public,” says Hershman. There have
been many difficulties and challenges that she and her team have had to overcome
in all of her projects.
Most
specifically, this relates to distribution. Fortunately for Hershman, the film
“had a great distributor that helped the work be seen on a larger scale.” !WAR
premiered
internationally as an official selection at such prestigious festivals as the
Toronto International, Sundance, Panorama Berlin International, San Francisco International,
and the Human Rights Watch Film Festivals.
Hershman
describes the experience of having the film selected by MoMA as one of the
three best documentaries of the year as “a thrill.”
“[I
was] surprised by the positive reception to the film,” she says. The positive
reception, both publicly and professionally does justice to the message, and
the story that is being told. “All of these things help people know about the
movement and the issues.”
The
Capilano Film Series, in partnership with the DOXA film festival, included a
pre-screening question and answer period. Featuring a highly knowledgeable
panel, the roster included local filmmaker, performer, and writer Amber Dawn and
Capilano University faculty members Toni Latour and Sandra Seekins, professors
of Studio Art and Art History, respectively.
Immediately
preceding Capilano University’s film screening of !WAR was a presentation of Riva, a short documentary
created by Capilano Documentary film student Shurman Esseline. His film tells
the story of a dear friend of his, the passionate and vibrant Riva Fisher.
//Claire McGillivray, writer
//Claire McGillivray, writer
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