On November 7th, 2019, the Guerrilla Girls blessed Bucknell with their presence, gorilla masks and all. For those of you who don’t know, the Guerilla Girls are an anonymous group of activist artists that use their work to expose bias and corruption in pop culture, art, film and politics. They have toured all over the world, promoting themselves as “intersectional feminists who fight for the human rights of all people, and against ethnic and gender stereotypes, homophobia, trans-phobia, war and income inequality.” This group takes on the names of deceased artists as pseudonyms, and wear gorilla masks in public.
The group started in 1985 when seven women protested against the MoMa’s exhibition “An International Survey of Recent Painting and Sculpture.” The reason behind this was the exhibition’s claim to be a survey of the era’s most significant painters and sculptors from 17 different countries. But here’s the catch…out of 165 artists, only 13 were women. The exhibition’s representation of individuals of color was even smaller.
The Guerrilla Girls believe in an intersectional form of feminism that not only fights discrimination but also supports human rights for people of all gender identities. They have been featured in Vanity Fair, USA Today, The New York Times and Variety. Their work has also been exhibited in the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Museum of Modern Art, as well in many other countries around the world. Wherever they go, they spark dialogue and call attention to issues of racism and sexism within the art world. As the Guerrilla Girls stated in a New York Times interview, “Anonymous free speech is protected by the Constitution. You’d be surprised what comes out of your mouth when you wear a mask”.
At Bucknell, the Guerrilla Girls were chosen to deliver this years Samek Distinguished Art Lecture in the ELC Forum. They spoke about the evolution of their posters, billboards and books. Guerrilla Girl Frida delivered the talk on Bucknell’s campus.
Their exhibition, “Guerrilla Girls: Art of Behaving Badly” will be on display in the Samek Campus Gallery until Sunday, December 8th. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon through 5pm, and the space is free and open to all. If you haven’t already, definitely set aside some time to check out their exhibition!
Sources: https://www.guerrillagirls.com/
https://museum.bucknell.edu/2019/08/16/guerrilla-girls-art-of-behaving-badly-oct-15-dec-8/