Saturday, November 21, 2009

Early Works of Hannah Wilke



Wilke (1940-1993) is one of my favorite contemporary artists. A feminist working in multiple media in the 1960s, she was rejected by some because she used her own image in photos, and happened to be extraordinarily beautiful.
She died of cancer, documenting the collapse of her body in her final photographic works. I don't know if a museum bought these photos, they were so devastating.
These are the two works shown at MOCA, a pastel and mixed media from 1961, and wall sculpture from 1975.
My intent in developing a specifically female iconography for both sexes in the early 60s was in direct conflict with a society that prohibited its citizens from using the words fuck, cock, and prick... creating a positive image to wipe out the negative consequences of pussy, cunt, box. --H. Wilke

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