Was Glen Carlou screening WAR: Women Art Revolution at the Labia this evening, the first feminist wine intervention in SA?  Certainly the organizers chose a most appropriately named venue and being opposite the Michaelis School of Fine Art was also a happy happenstance, even if the building looks like a reformatory in Luxembourg.  Scheduling it on the same day the New York Times runs a major review of a solo exhibition by Cindy Sherman at the Museum of Modern Art, calling her “one of the most important artists of her era” was positively Jungian in its synchronicity.

Glen Carlou marketing maven Georgie Prout

Glen Carlou owner Donald Hess is an art collector of international renown and the author of WAR, Lynn Hershman Leeson, is lavishly represented in his collection.  As his curator, Myrtha Steiner, told the 55-strong audience who accepted out of 350 invited.

Confirming that art appreciation and the life of the mind are not requirements for writing about SA wine.  Even Mr. Min and Ma Nolte, who fancy themselves as kuns kenners, were AWOL although their name tag lay forlornly next to the remarkable Glen Carlou 2010 Pinot Noir.  Just the kind of wine you need next to you to watch a performance piece of two large feminists in judo suits, wrestle.  The red corner represented minimalist art; the blue corner was feminist art.  As Jan Laubscher  from Winetimes observed, “the minimalist was doing one heck of a lot of moering for a minimalist.”  But then he would pick nits, as he is a man.

My favourite scene was when one of the earnest wimmin explained “after I told my husband to cook his own food, wash the dishes and clean the house, my marriage fell apart.  A few days later, I was raped, which was a real political action.”  Quite a non sequitur.

The curtain lifted on gallery visitors being asked to name three women artists.  Frieda Kahlo was the only one mentioned.  In SA, things would be different with Irma Stern the most widely known SA artist with Maggie Laubser hot on her heels.  Your pick of Maude Sumner, Penny Siopis, Diane Victor, Debbie Bell or the incomparable Jane Alexander, recently plagiarized by Die Antwoord (hot from the David Letterman show), in third place.

Marlene Dumas, born on Jacobsdal estate in the Stellenboschkloof, is the most expensive female artist in the world and I remember sitting in her Amsterdam kitchen drinking French Champagne with her brother Cornelis.  As eldest son, Cornelis had to leave university and give up the life of the mind when their father died.  Marlene, being a woman, could get on with fulfilling her manifest destiny, in peace.  Not quite the message WAR banged home – that American women artists pay a huge price for their gender.  Perhaps because they’re in the northern hemisphere and we’re in the south?

Gender seems to get replaced by Race in SA.  At the end of WAR, Lynn Hershman Leeson movingly recalled having her art returned early in her career when the purchaser realized she was a woman.  A similar thing happened to Sean Blem fifteen years ago.  Promised sponsorship for his “Rhino” exhibition by McDonalds, the US hamburger chain, said sponsorship disappeared when the American corporates discovered he was a white SA artists.  ”Thank heavens for Skype” say corporate art sponsors.

Related posts:

1. Bringing home the Bacon The news that the owner of Glen Carlou, Donald Hess,...
2. Egg Whites Had a chance to taste the 2011 Glen Carlou unwooded...
3. Battle of the Academicians Do you need a license to make love? A diploma...
4. Maggie & Marcel KWV chairman Marcel Golding made a serious mistake when he...
5. Unik & &Union – triumphs of typography Anotherdamnedfoodblog has Mother City foodistas in a frenzy as it...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.