For close to a century, the techniques of collage and literary cut-up have been used to discover new forms in the visual arts, poetry, and music by undoing and restructuring text, image, and sound. “Cut-Up: Contemporary Collage and Cut-Up Histories through a Feminist Lens,” curated by artist Katie Vida, explores a multigenerational lineage of women artists who have pushed the boundary of cut-up techniques across media, including sculpture, video, sound art, painting, performance, printed matter, poetry, and photography.
Featuring works from 1967 to the present, “Cut-Up” explores how collage and cut-up have informed the visual arts, literature, and experimental sound art. The exhibition also pays special attention to how the process of cutting apart and reordering language parallels an activist impulse to disrupt the status quo and develop new, alternative narratives. This skepticism and eschewing of “traditional” media is a strategy that was embraced by feminist artists in the late 1960s. At that time these artists embraced newer forms such as performance, film, text based works, and ephemeral sculpture, in part, to bypass patriarchal histories associated with established media such as monumental sculpture and painting.
Through a layering of imagery, text, materials and sound, the artists in “Cut-Up” create tension by disrupting narrative and reorienting the viewers’ expectations “The cut itself is the technology through which these artists address and manipulate language and image,” curator Katie Vida elaborates, “Through an additive and/or reductive process of developing fresh visual and linguistic spaces the artists in this exhibition show a commitment to breaking apart what is seemingly codified to engage in alternative visions.”
Exhibiting Artists: Ruth Anderson, Phyllis Baldino, Dodie Bellamy, Ofri Cnaani, Lourdes Correa-Carlo, Mayme Donsker, Heike-Karin Foell, Susan Howe, Jennie C. Jones, Alexis Knowlton, Carrie Moyer, Lorraine O’Grady, People Like Us, Sheila Pepe, Faith Ringgold, Mariah Robertson, Carolee Schneemann, Nancy Shaver, Meredyth Sparks, Cauleen Smith, Martine Syms, and Janice Tanaka.
Exhibition graphic identity by Lauren Francescone
Installation view
Martine Syms, Vertical Horizontal Extended, Vertical Elevated Oblique, A Thread Or Line That Holds Things Together, 2015, Archival pigment print on Sintra, c-stand, sand bags, artists’ clothes, Courtesy of the artist and Bridget Donahue, New York
Installation view
Lourdes Correa-Carlo, Between the Two, 2008, Wood, wax and Mylar, Courtesy of Artists Pension Trust
Jennie C Jones, Shhh Fragments A&B, 2012, Professional noise canceling instrument, wire and felt, Courtesy of the artist and Sikkema Jenkins, New York
Jennie C Jones, You Make Me Feel Like 100 Billie Holiday Songs, 2004 Audio Mp3 File, Courtesy of the artist, and Rocking Chair, from Nancy Shaver’s studio, courtesy of Nancy Shaver
Installation view
Installation view
Mariah Robertson, 95, 2011, Unique color print on metallic paper, Courtesy of the artist
Meredyth Sparks, Extraction (Black Checks, with padding), 2015, Digital print on canvas, fabric-wrapped stretcher, Courtesy of the artist
Installation view
Jennie C Jones, From the Clusterfuck Bianca Series, 2013, Earbuds, twist ties, latex paint, Courtesy of the artist and Sikkema Jenkins, New York
Susan Howe, From Tom Tit Tot, 2014. Letterpress on paper, Courtesy of the artist, and From Frolic Architecture, 2010, Letterpress on paper, Courtesy of the artist
Installation view
Alexis Knowlton http://leadpipe.us, 2012, Website, Courtesy of the artist
Faith Ringgold, Subway Graffiti #2, 1987, Acrylic on canvas with pieced, dyed and painted fabric border, Courtesy of ACA Galleries, New York
Installation view (downstairs)
Phyllis Baldino, Objects from The Unknown Series, 1994 – 1996, Shaving Cream Thing, Straw Thing, Mayo Thing, Green Velour Pads Thing, 4th of July Thing, Chopstick Thing, Dildo Thing, Right Guard Thing, Black and Clear Thing, Marble-ized Thing, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida Thing Mixed Media, Courtesy of the artist
Phyllis Baldino, Objects from The Unknown Series, 1994 – 1996 (detail), Courtesy of the artist
Phyllis Baldino, Objects from The Unknown Series, 1994 – 1996 (detail), Dildo Thing, Mixed Media, Courtesy of the artist
Installation view
Heike-Karin Foell, 4 artist books (No. 90, 93, 113, 190), 2015, Drawing, xerox, collage on paper, Unique, Courtesy of Mathew Gallery, Berlin
Dodie Bellamy, Cunt Norton, 2013 Book, Courtesy of the artist, and Chair, from Nancy Shaver’s studio, courtesy of Nancy Shaver
Dodie Bellamy, Cunt Norton, 2013 Book, Courtesy of the artist
Lorraine O’Grady, Cutting Out the New York Times, Just the Two of Us, 1977/2010, Toner ink on adhesive paper, Courtesy of the artist and Alexander Grey and Associates, New York
Installation view (downstairs)
Nancy Shaver, To Richie Rich #2, 2014, Found metal, wooden blocks, dress fabric, Japanese fabric, Flashe acrylic, house paint, Courtesy of the Artist
Installation view (downstairs)
Lorraine O’Grady, Cutting Out the New York Times, Finding the one you love is finding yourself and The Right Face For The Right Job 1977/2010, Toner ink on adhesive paper, Courtesy of the artist and Alexander Grey and Associates, New York
Cauleen Smith, Chronicles of a Lying Spirit (by Kelly Gabron), 1992 16mm film transferred to digital, Running Time: 00:06:30, Courtesy of the artist
Sheila Pepe, Non-sonic Room Divide, 2016, Crocheted, knitted, knotted and sewn textiles, Courtesy of the artist
Ruth Anderson, SUM (STATE OF THE UNION MESSAGE), 1973, Analog tape transferred to digital MP3 file, Running time: 00:07:34, Courtesy of the artist, DUMP, 1970, Analog tape transferred to digital MP3 file, Running time: 00:12:57, Courtesy of the artist
Gallery Handout by Lauren Francescone
