“We have to start using the F-word,” said Frida Kahlo, encouraging the students and professors at Fairfield not to be afraid of the word feminism. Kahlo is one of the original members of the Guerilla Girls, a group of powerful and anonymous women artists that have been informing the public about gender inequality and promoting action through art and speech since 1985.
Kahlo explained that the Guerilla Girls wear gorilla masks to protect their identities, as it allows others to focus on the issues at hand, rather than the women’s personalities.
“My initial reaction to Frida Kahlo was that she really knows how to make a statement. Though she was wearing a gorilla mask, the talk was even more intriguing,” said Jhomalys Moran ’14.
Kahlo’s stage appearance may have been shocking to some, but what was even more provocative were the statistics that she mentioned about women artists.
“I honestly never really thought about the amount of female artist works that is shown in comparison to the amount of male work that has been shown in museums, in addition to the value of the works and how gender has affected the art market,” said Katie Gillette ’15, an art history major.
The philosophy of the Guerrilla Girls’ movement is that they use humor to combat problems in society and to inform the public. According to Kahlo, humor functions as a way for her to fly under the radar and get a hook into people’s brains.
“I love how they base their statements on reported statistics, but then present them in a very funny way. They draw the viewer in,” said Dr. Marice Rose, of the Art History department. One Guerrilla Girls poster Kahlo mentioned in her speech poked fun at the advantages of being a woman artist that include, “working without the pressure of success, knowing your career might pick up after you’re eighty, and not having to undergo the embarrassment of being called a genius.”
Kahlo continued to make the audience laugh but also brought to light important issues, not only regarding women in the art world but the role of women in the music industry and women in Hollywood as well. Kahlo showed a recent poster, in which the Guerrilla Girls pose the question, “Do girls have to be naked to get into music videos?” (The poster is an image of a naked girl from Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines video.) New concepts might change for the Guerilla Girls art, but one thing continues to emanate from their work- the striking reality that women are subordinate to men.
Perhaps, Kahlo’s most striking moment was when her speech fringed upon worldwide gender issues that are screaming for justice in everyday life and that are demanding change. “We still have a lot to do. Violence against women is a huge international problem from gang rape in India to the sexual slavery of ISIS. To the negligible punishment given out for violence right here in the United States. There is rampant sexism in the newest tech industries gender earning, and all of you know the harassment that girls face in the street, at school, at jobs, everyday. Despite all these bad news, women’s resistance movements are exploding all over the world,” says Kahlo.
Eileen Harris, 15’, said, “As a woman, gender, & sexuality studies minor, it was empowering to hear someone speak about feminism with this positive tone. The most important message I thought she conveyed powerfully was that feminism is not a woman’s issue, but rather a human issue and that we must treat it as such.”
The Guerrilla Girls exhibit “Not Ready to Make Nice: Guerilla Girls in the Art World and Beyond,” is in the Quick Center until November 15th. To learn more about Frida Kahlo and the Guerilla Girls, visit www.guerrillagirls.com
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