The awareness acquired with the differentialist feminism of the Seventies in Italy led to the affirmation of the figure of the emancipated woman on a social level in the Eighties. This concept strengthened the importance of the idea of professionalism declared by the artists, which had as a direct consequence an increasingly widespread intolerance towards separatist initiatives such as female-only exhibitions. Initiatives such as the Biennale Donna di Ferrara, founded by the UDI – Unione Donne in Italia in 1984, conferences such as 12 al 2000. Donna Arte in 1988, reflecting on the role of women within the national artistic scene, and associations such as DUNA – Unione Nazionale Donne Artiste, often organized by women who had already been active in the national art system in the previous decade at the height of feminist demands, were deserted or viewed with suspicion by the artists of the younger generations (born in the 1950s) and who were stepping on the scene at the time. Through the analysis of these three Italian experiences, this article aims to highlight the methods and partly the reasons that led Italian artists to distance themselves from feminism after its arrival in Italy also thanks to the medium of art (with Carla Lonzi), in absolute contrast with what was happening in the same decade in the British-American context where, to some extent, feminism opened up to the demands of Afro- and Asian-descendant women, ensuring a continuous, lively, and profitable dialogue and interaction between art and feminism.
Maderna, A. (2024). The Separatist Issue in the Italian Art System in the Eighties. In Re-Evaluation in Feminism and Contemporary Art.
The Separatist Issue in the Italian Art System in the Eighties
Angela Maderna
2024-01-01
Abstract
The awareness acquired with the differentialist feminism of the Seventies in Italy led to the affirmation of the figure of the emancipated woman on a social level in the Eighties. This concept strengthened the importance of the idea of professionalism declared by the artists, which had as a direct consequence an increasingly widespread intolerance towards separatist initiatives such as female-only exhibitions. Initiatives such as the Biennale Donna di Ferrara, founded by the UDI – Unione Donne in Italia in 1984, conferences such as 12 al 2000. Donna Arte in 1988, reflecting on the role of women within the national artistic scene, and associations such as DUNA – Unione Nazionale Donne Artiste, often organized by women who had already been active in the national art system in the previous decade at the height of feminist demands, were deserted or viewed with suspicion by the artists of the younger generations (born in the 1950s) and who were stepping on the scene at the time. Through the analysis of these three Italian experiences, this article aims to highlight the methods and partly the reasons that led Italian artists to distance themselves from feminism after its arrival in Italy also thanks to the medium of art (with Carla Lonzi), in absolute contrast with what was happening in the same decade in the British-American context where, to some extent, feminism opened up to the demands of Afro- and Asian-descendant women, ensuring a continuous, lively, and profitable dialogue and interaction between art and feminism.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
