S. O. S Starification Object Series Analysis

The feminist art movement emerged around the late 1960s. Feminist artists sought after a different world and wanted to change it with their art. The feminist art movement changed woman stereotypes and influenced cultural outlooks. They combined multiple aspects and various medias such as: video art, conceptual art and body art. Feminist artists also opened doors and created opportunities that did not previously exist to minorities and woman artists. It paved a path for identity art and activist art. Artists like Jenny Saville and Hannah Wilke transformed art during the feminist movement. They used non-traditional media and different perspectives and sought to expand the definition of art. Both pieces are remarkable works of art that carry such a strong message. However, Hannah Wilke’s S.O.S Starification Object Series grasped my attention because of the very bold visual aspects, and strong expressive message. Wilke’s S.O.S Starification …show more content…
It constitutes a series of photographs of herself topless and parodies a traditional representation of femininity. There is a vast difference between these photographs and a typical glamourous shot. Wilke created tiny sculptures of chewing gum and placed them all over her body. The gum is in the form of a vulva. Her purpose for this piece was to bring attention to the depictions of women in common culture and dismantling stereotypes about femininity. Wilke’s who also made independent sculptures of chewing gum, explained why she chose to use this material, “I chose gum because it is the perfect metaphor for the American woman- chew her up, get what you want out of her, throw her out and pop in a new piece.” The body is a preoccupation for artists like Hannah Wilke. The accumulation of all her work was a series of photographs and self-portraits. Hannah Wilke re-appropriates photography, painting and sculpture to challenge woman as the focus to the male