Cathy's Art Diary

Thought provoking online discussion at the Cheltenham Literature Festival on the female view in various cultural areas. Aindrea Emelfie chaired the event with Kenya Hunt, Fashion Director of Grazia Magazine; Charlotte Jansen, Editor at Large of Elephant Magazine and contemporary artist and founder of Big Art Hertstory, Luisa-Maria MacCormack. I would have liked to have heard more about the female gaze in art but Jansen did talk about her study of female photographers for her book “Girl on Girl” and MacCormack talked about forgotten women in art, such as Adelaide Labille-Guiard, who started an art school in 18th century France. Other interesting conversations were around how fashion magazines are changing to represent a more diverse range of customers and are employing more female photographers.  

Thought provoking online discussion as part of the Cheltenham Literature Festival looking at how we view history from a Western European viewpoint. The talked brought together the author of a recent book on African European though history, Olivette Otele and art critic and historian, Aindrea Emelife to discuss how to ensure accounts of history and culture reflect the whole of society and how to move from away from a singular narrative to one that belongs to everyone. All aspects of this talk were interesting but I include it in my art blog as Emelife had a fascinating presentation in the light of the removal of the Coulston statue in Bristol showing examples of new public art reflecting a more diverse society. Examples included a wonderful statue in New York, mimicking the controversial Confederate statues, of a African-American in urban clothes on horseback by Fehinde Wiley from 2019 and a Nazi era building in Italy which, rather than demolishing it, has a line from a Jewish ...