PUSSY: A two-person exhibition at The Golden Hind, Des Moines IA
PUSSY is a two woman exhibition curated by Larassa Kabel and featuring the work of Brooklyn based artist Jenn Dierdorf and Des Moines photographer Brittany Brooke Crow. The closing reception will be on the third floor of Fitch Studios Thursday September 28th from 6 - 8 pm (304 15th Street, Des Moines IA 50315).
Recent legislation about women's physical autonomy has caused widespread concern and will have far reaching and unexpected consequences beyond the question of abortion. Dierdorf's and Crow's works embody two tactics for reclaiming power when one feels powerless: obfuscation and humor. Crow's photographs are a beautiful interplay between the viewer's prurient desires and the artist's control over what parts of her body she allows to be visible. Dierdorf's delightful watercolor drawings based on the Greek mythological character Baubo remind us that joy and laughter can break one from the bleakness of depression and renew one's energy for the work that needs to be done.
Jenn Dierdorf
“Baubo is a fiery trickster from Ancient Greece who is tied to the story of Persephone and her mother Demeter. When Persephone was kidnapped and brought to the underworld her mother was distraught. Everything on earth shriveled and died without her presence. Demeter wandered the earth trying to find her daughter and eventually comes to a palace where she finds work as a washer. She becomes more depressed and hopeless about finding Persephone. Then one day… an old woman approaches her while she’s working. The old woman makes some kind of risqué joke to Demeter and it catches her attention. Then the old woman turns to face her and lifts up her skirt! Whatever Demeter saw it sent her into a full belly laugh that snapped her out of the hopelessness and inspired her to continue the search for Persephone. Of course she finds her in Hades and brings her back home, albeit for only half of the year. This time is attributed to Springtime and the growth and abundance brought by Persephone, and the relationship between mother and daughter. Baubo is described as the sexually liberated, crass and mischievous goddess of mirth. She is a wise figure who embodies the powers of sexuality and laughter. To me she is also a symbol of wisdom and age. The old trickster crone who will teach you a lesson and walk away laughing. I especially love the mystery of “what ever is under her skirt” which to me implies gender fluidity and can also reference apotropaic rituals and gestures. Using ones genitalia to ward off enemies.
My art practice is centered around queer feminism, which to me means always seeking to undermine patriarchal and capitalist paradigms. I am interested in how demonizing and monstrous historical narratives about women perpetuate political, often racist agendas.
I use humor, myth and personal narratives to revisit fabricated stories about women, both real and mythological, to uncover and recognize the power and wisdom they possess. The works in this show are just a few of the many drawings that come from thinking about this wry trickster and feminine power.“
Brittany Brooke Crow
"With a desire to return to the materiality of the printed image, I printed large-format photographs of myself, tore them, and rephotographed myself with the fragments. I am curious as to how the process of collage disrupts the gaze, and whether or not it influences how viewers interpret my literal body and body of work. What am I risking by tearing myself into pieces? What am I exposing, and what might this choice say about my performance of gender and sexuality?"
Brittany Brooke Crow uses image-making to confront her fear of vulnerability while exploring intimacy, ways of seeing, and the expansive possibilities of creating photo-based art. The performative action necessary to create an image is often a part of the content of her work. Crow's self portraiture began as an exploration of the tangle of historical tropes, cultural expectations, and personal control that comes with representing the queer female body. She has since expanded this inquiry into the rediscovery of the materiality of the photographic print.