femmeusesaction #7.1 is one of the artistic platforms of the multi-form femmeuses project which was established as a research project into the theoretic, artistic and historic interaction between post-modernity in art, and the feminist, post-colonial and queer movements. It is an artistic process determined by two basic aspects – research into history and theory on the one side, and research into art on the other – and implemented by way of reflection on numerous relations defined by feminist movements during the 1970s together with the practices that were established in the ensuing decades.
Although feminist performances played a crucial role in 20th century art, history has for a long time pushed them to one side. The decision to deal with these specific feminist practices stems from interest in their ever-different but always politics-related reinvestigations, as well as from the need to re-engage. By appropriation and internal treatment of performances, the femmeuses artistic collective embarks on discovering the specifics of woman's body and its place both in society and art. Such is also true for femmeusesaction #7.1, a performance bringing together texts, images, dance and videos, and arising from the question ''Well, Is the Personal Political?'' posed at the Questions on Women's Art conference in London back in November 1980. Visual artist and art theorist Martha Rosler gave a long answer with a series of well-argumented pros and cons.
Through a series of scenes, the performers elaborate the theme, simultaneously referring to Martha Rosler's work and her problematisation of the standards of social beauty, images created by the media, as well as cultural stereotypes in general. Her video entitled Sémiotics of the Kitchen, which also forms part of the performance, is a parody demonstration of cookery, and an ironic display as to the meanings behind household gestures and utensils, which reveals that constraint is concealed within these everyday objects.
Ana Perne
