"If men had babies, there would be thousands of images of the crowning.” - Judy Chicago
Today is Judy Chicago's 85th birthday, and this gives me an opportunity to write a few words about my experience of her retrospective, "Revelations," currently on at the Serpentine Gallery in London.
While I was very familiar with Chicago's iconic "Dinner Party" installation, the exhibition helped me fill a few gaps, notably thanks to the inclusion of her "Birth Project". Completed between 1980 and 1985, the project challenged the absence of birth imagery in Western art. True to her collaborative approach, Chicago worked with over 150 needleworkers to produce tapestries and textiles depicting various aspects of birth.
As a childless woman, I am not ashamed to say that I found the imagery both fascinating and absolutely terrifying. I won't lie, I had one of those 'won't look at it, cannot look away' moments (mostly I did look away, though, which is rather troubling). As a woman, I believe I have the ability to appreciate why this work was important and necessary. Chicago and her team of 'makers' not only addressed another crucial erasure celebrating the female experience, but also highlighted the collaborative nature of women's work, merging fine art with traditional crafts.
Overall, I felt that "Revelations" did a great job of capturing the essence of an artist whose persistent activism and commitment to promoting gender equality and environmental awareness, something else I knew little about, profoundly influenced the art world and continues to inspire change.
Happy birthday, Judy!
Judy Chicago
The Crowning (Quilt 2/9), 1983
Quilting and embroidery over drawing and hand-painting on batik fabric
71.1 x 110.5 cm
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