The Impact of Institutional Power on Female and Non-White Artists
Adrian Piper highlights that artists who differ in race or gender must overcome the biographical aspects of their identity to have a successful career, similar to western male artists who receive institutional support. Linda Nochlin's article, "Why there have been no great women artists", explains that institutional influences have set the parameters for what is considered a great artist or artistic "genius". Adrian Piper emphasizes this concept in her performance piece where she parades herself in a wig, glasses, and facial hair. She reinforces the impact of her race and gender on her art and how removing those elements eliminates the contextual information that is a common denominator for her.
Labels can be divisive and can control the narrative of artists. The title of Nochlin's article is implicitly biased, and the parameters for "greatness" in fine arts apply only to western male artists. Therefore, applying them to female or non-white artists would result in a lack of recognition of their skill. Nochlin addresses institutional power as the cause of the exclusion of female artists from the "greats". However, in that moment, she represented the institution. Thus, she set a framework for art historians, patrons, and spectators to investigate and examine the works of female artists when assessing the "greatness" of their work.
The Soul of a Nation exhibition at The Brooklyn Museum demonstrates how it is easier to categorize African-American artists by their racial identity. However, considering the feminist art history framework is necessary for questioning the institutions that are in play during the artists' working period. For instance, Ed Clark, an abstract expressionist from New Orleans, spent time in Paris on the G.I. Bill. Using Nochlin's framework to analyze Clark's work becomes challenging because the only thing holding that superficial framework together is his racial identity.
Adrian Piper's "CWA" theory is applicable to various African-American artists in the 20th century. For example, Kerry James Marshall's portraits of African-American subjects in mundane settings can be minimized to his portraiture. However, the racial perspective of these artists is only a drop in the ocean of what their work represents. When we minimize life experiences to race and gender, we take away aspects of analyzing their work and understanding their message.
To conclude, labels can be divisive, and we need to question their origin and what they represent when we look at a work. We must examine how that label impacts the artist, art period, or artwork before we can assess if that label is helpful for the narrative or not.
XOXO
The Curatorial Blonde
