Mary Kelly as a Feminist - Essay Example

Mary Kelly, a Feminist The contemporary period can be considered to possess a number of artists that can be considered of substance and grace in the corresponding field. This particular era in history was marked by the upsringing of various trends in arts and the foray of women and other unlikely sections of the society into the world of art. Mary Kelly is one of the artists of the contemporary period. She is known to be a feminist and fighting an important advocacy through her works. Femminism became a strong benchmark for the society in that particular period, which can be seen through the various art forms and literature created at that time. Unlike the modern times, feminism was not reflected in policy changes as yet and was still confined to mere forms of expression. This was one of the key features of Mary Kelly’s life as has been discussed below. This play of femisnism also depicts the relationship between theory and practice as reflected in the work by Mary Kelly which forms the basic crux of the paper. Mary Kelly’s Life Mary Kelly is one of the most important American artist of the present generation whose works are dedicated to the goals and aims of presenting her feminist’s principles. She was born in 1941 at Fort Dodge in Iowa. She had educational training from the different institutions. She got her BA from the College of Saint Teresa in Winona in Minnesota from 1959 to 1963. After her undergraduate course in Arts, she studied her Masters in Arts in the European Region (Felsen, 2008). From 1963 to 1965, Mary Kelly studied Masters in Arts in the Pius XII Institute in Florence Italy. A Postgraduate Diploma was achieved from the St. Martin’s School of Art in London through the period 1968 to 1970. Also, Kelly had different types of works in London which includes being a curator, an editor and a writer in addition to being an artist (Felsen, 2008). A. Theory and Practice Relationship in Body of Work. With an increase in the foray into feminism and the wide use of art expression as a complementary feature, human society was changing in the times of Mary Kelly and the needs have increased manifold. Changes in the political, economical and cultural arena had challenged and effected alterations within various art forms. The autonomy of art related professions had been under challenge because the market had tried to decrease it so to reduce their power and status. Finally, all these changes have affected and put under challenge the profession and expression within art. This is further evident in the following lines as mentioned by Robert B. Reich, when he says, “In this mercantilist game, one sovereign’s advance (was) necessarily at the expense of another, because the whole point of the exercise (was) to gain more power than a potential opponent.” (Reich, 1991, p.14). The Post-Partum Document upon analysis by a number of art critics is compared to a stain in the fabric that represents the development of the artistic expression of different aspects. Although this is the case, the unconventional expression and uncanny courage and confidence of Kelly can be considered as the one of the main reasons for achievement of recognitions and faith from the public. In this regard, it is important to begin with an assessment of theory and practice so as to understand the relationship between the two in the work of Mary Kelly. Theory To begin with, it is imperative to create the base upon which analysis will take place. This base consists of clear definitions of the various concepts of the statement of this paper. The first term that needs to be defined in this context is theory. Theory may be defined as the amalgamation of knowledge for use and application in the professional sphere. It has been alleged that theory and practice need to be married in a better way for relevance in real life professional situations such as the arena of art. Various scholars have understood theory as the amalgamation of ideas and the very knowledge base that contributes to the understanding of the practical sphere of the profession. In acting as the knowledge field within which practice takes place, theory has difficulties to act as a medium through which proper professional decisions may be taken. This is basically due to the fact that there are wide disparities between what is taught and what is practiced, as the world outside theory is a rapidly changing one with dynamic qualities. It has been found in this regard that theory has not managed to keep up with the changes leading to irrelevance in art. Practice Practice can be defined as the actual application of theory to real life professional situations, for effective operations. This activity provides the basis for profitable application of theory in the world of art. While globalization has led to a more or less similar standard of practice in various professions, there is still a lot that theory needs to do in order to catch up with practice so as to lead to relevant and effective professional education. As far as the existing mismatch between theory and practice are concerned, one should start out by stressing on the importance of linking the two. This can be understood better through the following line as explained by Michael Eraut, when he says, “Proponents of both the ideology and its counterpart regard expertise as the prime source of professional power and influence, but hold different views about how it is and should be controlled.” (Eraut, 1994, p.2). According to the above statement, ideology translates to theory when seen through the eyes of art expression. Most scholars believe that expertise or experience is the third angle that helps link theory and practice. Practice has been found to deviate from theory as it springs from the more dynamic environment of reality within which professions actually thrive and function. Relevant decision-making thus needs to spring from theory that is matched with expertise so as to serve the dimensions of the practical sphere of professions. It may be mentioned here that ideology needs to be a part of theory in the practical sense. The author has tried to pitch expertise and ideology against each other. The relevant question that needs to be addressed here is, whether or not these two elements need to be pitched against each other, or do they need to be used in a complementary way so as to strike a balance in the theory practice relationship. An important artwork in the context of this theory practice relationship in the career of Mary Kelly is a large-scale narrative installation that is entitled as “Love Songs.” It is composed of different works that can be considered to contribute to the conceptual organization of the work. The said artwork chose the main trend in the society of the said generation during the 70’s (Deutsche, 2006; Felsen, 2008). The said artwork is composed of the Flashing Nipple Remix, the WLM Demo Remix, the Sisterhood is POW. The Flashing Nipple Remix is composed of backlit transparencies representing choreographic improvisations. It specifically includes the street theatre performers in 1971. The WLM Demo Remix is a representation to be able to unite the past and the present Women’s Liberation in 1970 and the celebration of the 19th amendment. The Sisterhood is POW is also another important part of the collection that is composed of narrative illuminated boxes measuring up to 72 feet in length (Deutsche, 2006; Felsen, 2008). Theory and practice were seen to be very much in tandem when in the year 1989, she moved to New York, for her works to be displayed in Tate Gallery located in London and also in the Australian National Gallery in Canberra, and the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York. The works of art exhibited at these times by Mary Kelly had an important edge of feminism to them. From the “An Earthwork Performed” in New Arts Laboratory in London in the year 1970 with her earliest although not so conspicuous art works her adventures continues. Thee 1975 “Women and Work: A Document on the Division of Labor in Industry” exhibition is one of the earliest woman advocacy exhibition (Deutsche, 2006; Felsen, 2008). Based on the advocacy and the social theories being discussed in the works of Kelly, she is considered as one of the most important artists of the contemporary period who demonstrated a strong match between theory and practice in her artistic expression. Even her exhibitions are being analyzed and studied not only on the basis of the artworks that are presented but also in the total messages that are being conveys. There are different works that are considered as significant in her career. One is the exhibit presented in the Rosamund Felsen Gallery which can be considered as a recent work. Kelly is known to present underlying messages in her work specifically pointing out to her topics of inclination such as cultural principles specifically pertaining to femininity. Figure 1. The Documenta XII, Installation View (2007). Figure 2. Flashing Nipple Remix 1, (2005) Source: (Felsen, 2008). Figure 3. Flashing Nipple Remix 2 and 3 (2005). Figure 4. Flashing Nipple Remix (2005). Source: (Felsen, 2008). Figure 5. Sisterhood is POW... (2005). Figure 6. Seemed Right (2005). Figure 7. WLM Demo Remix-screen shot 1 (2005). Source: (Felsen, 2008). Figure 8. Improvisations (2006). Figure 9. Mea Culpa (1999-2002). Analysis of Mary Kelly’s Work: Theory Practice Relationship As can be seen in the above pictures, the play of the relationship between theory and practice is great in the work of Mary Kelly. As a starting premise, one can safely say that her theories sprung from the notion that feminism and the depiction was the area that formed the practice aspect of her work. Therefore, there is a clear cut relationship between theory and practice in her work. Furthering this relationship between theory and practice, were the influences on her work. The influence of the work of Kelly can be considered and classified on the basis of different dimensions. This can be attributed to the fact that her works are not limited to the visual arts but also to the literature. Her Post-Partum Document which was released in 1973 to 1979 can be considered of theoretical complexity that can only be achieved on the basis of in depth analysis. Basically, the importance of her work can be attributed to the presentation of an alternative view regarding the social construction that almost always benefits the powerful few. Also, the issues of impartiality, subjectivity and in most cases double standardization regarding the femininity can be considered as of the issues that she is continuously opting resolutions for (Kelly, 1999; Knight, 2007). In order to be applied to practice, theory should “enrich practice and thus make it more effective.” (Usher and Bryant, 1987, p.202). This could be an evidence of how theory should be relevant in terms of ethics, structure of art in order to cater to relevant goals like integrated theoretical interests. This is the basis upon which Mary Kelly’s work depicted the two following features in the defining the relationship between theory and practice: Theory Born out of Practice Practice Born out of Theory These are the two founding principles that helped her give back to her work what she got from her learning and experiences in the external world. And at the same time, she was able to shape her experiences on the basis of her the form of expression that she achieved in her work. This is only one of the views that can be presented regarding Mary Kelly’s work. Basically the Post-Partum Document on the aim to present the clear message was judged as scandalous. This can be attributed to the fact that it focused on the controversial issues of sexual orientation and differences, thus, a number of contradictions are continuously being received. Conclusion On the basis of the study that had been undertaken, Mary Kelly is one of the few artists that work hard to present a message to the public. There is a clear relationship between theory and practice in her work that supports strength in the application of theory to practice. This relationship is undertaken and depicted in the same time that the expression of visual capabilities is presented. Basically although the present era can be considered as the peak of practice of freedom of expression, there are still few people that can stand up for their belief and even share it with people. And Mary Kelley is one of them. Although offensive for certain groups in the arts sector and the society, the unconventional expression, courage and confidence of Mary Kelly as an artist can be considered to gain her recognitions and belief from the public. She is one of the living proofs that artistic expression does not alienate any one in the field of arts. In addition, the field of arts is one of the most important ways to achieve goals specifically in terms of advocacy. Thus in arts, in the conveying of massages and in working for a goal and advocacy her life can be commended as she created a strong basis for application of theory to practice and vice versa. Reference: Cornell, L. (2005). Mary Kelly Love SongsTime. Out New York, Issue 530, Novemeber 24 – 30, 2005 (reproduction). Deutsche, R. (2006). Not-Forgetting: Mary Kelly’s Love Songs. Grey Room, #24 Summer 2006. Felsen, R. (2008). Mary Kelly Exhibition on Rosamund Felsen Gallery [online]. Santa Monica, California: Rosamund Felsen Gallery. Available From: http://www.rosamundfelsen.com/kelly/index.html Kelly, M. (1999). Post-Partum Document. University of California Press. Knight, C. (2007). An abundance of insights. LA Times, April 29, 2007, F8-9. Larson, E. (2002). About a Boy. Art in America, December 2002, pp. 98-101. Miles, C. (2002). Mary Kelly at Santa Monica Museum of Art. Art Forum, March 2002, p.145. Eraut, M. (1994), Developing Professional Knowledge and Competence, London: Falmer Press. Reich, B.R. (1991), The Work of Nations: Preparing Ourselves for 21st Century Capitalism, London: Simon and Schuster. Usher, R.S. and Bryant, I. (January 1987), “Re-examining the Theory-Practice Relationship in Continuing Professional Education.” Studies in Higher Education, 12 (2), pp.201-212. Read More