“The time has come to think about sex,” announces Gayle Rubin in the introduction to her seminal essay “Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality” (143). Written in 1984–the year of Reagan’s reelection, Rubin’s pro-sex polemic came as a response to not only Reagan’s AIDS-denying conservatism, but also the pearl clutching, … Continue reading
Almost exactly two years ago, actor, perpetual student, artist, writer and all-around Renaissance man James Franco unleashed a fury with his exhibition New Film Stills at blue-chip Pace Gallery by recreating Cindy Sherman’s iconic Pictures Generation exploration of femme fatales and gender performativity. What’s that, dearest Filthy Dreams readers? You tried hard to repress those images? … Continue reading
“Art is not enough,” decries HIV/AIDS activist art collective Gran Fury’s startling graphic, concluding, “seize power through direct action.” Published in the Village Voice, Gran Fury’s statement on the political effectiveness of art joined the rest of their ubiquitous and by design, inescapable output linking direct action and art in order to confront issues surrounding … Continue reading
Can we ever analyze Ana Mendieta’s art independent of her tragic death? Should we? As good little art history students, we’re taught to look at the art itself, not the artist’s life (or death). Van Gogh wasn’t a nut–he just had a distinctive aesthetic. However for women artists, as well as artists of color, trans … Continue reading