Presently being hosted by Munich’s Haus De Kunst Gallery,‘Inside Other Spaces. Environments by Women Artists 1956-1976’ encourages us to reflect on our surrounding as much as it persuades us to perceive them from the female creator’s interpretation, whether we are prompted to do so through Judy Chicago’s ‘Feather Room’ (1966-2023) which looks to emphasis the relationship between the body and the milieu that envelops it or Laura Grisi’s‘Wind Speed 40 Knots’ (1968)
Inside Other Spaces. Environments by Women Artists 1956-1976 Presents Us With Another Viewpoint.
Giving birth to this philosophy, which has been grounded in Italian-Argentinian artist Lucio Fontana’s interpretation of the ‘environment’ as a descriptor for his gargantuan, ephemeral projects are also pieces such as ‘Spectral Passage’ (1975) by Aleksandra Kasuba alongside Nanda Vigo’s ‘Ambiente Cronotopico’ (1967). These and others have been brought to fruition through the combined efforts of of Andrea Lissoni, Marina Pugliese and Anna Pfautsch who’ve turned to heterogenous archival objects such as photographic remnants, architectural plans and written-records in an effort to not only bring the past into the present, but more pertinently turn to the present to speculate on the future. “Given the experimental nature of environments— most of them were destroyed right after their display—their art historiography is characterised by a sense of loss” says Lissoni. Therefore, the erasure of the fundamental contribution of women is a double loss.
The reconstruction of these historical and to be historicised environments are close to their original condition as possible aims to bridge the gap between then and now and let the works of women artists come to the fore.” In this spirit, works by artists such as Lea Lublin and Maria Nordman are ones not to be missed for anyone venturing into this sensorial, alternative landscape, particularly as the former’s explores the parallel between depiction, physicality and anatomy from a feminist perspective before relaying this to observers through photographic reproductions, bold palettes and overarching dimensions. Whilst the latter’s relies on spontaneity, time and scene to create idiosyncratic interactions between the observer and creator, which is also were the projects undertaken by Marta Minujín come into play. “They are ecological works of art because they are transformed with the climate and they integrate with the landscape” she said . “My idea is that they interact with the atmospheric changes and nature, they are moved by the wind, covered by snow or leaves, get wet with the rain and birds can nest inside them.” Simultaneously, to this, works by Lygia Clark, Tania Mouraud, Faith Wilding and Tsuruko Yamazaki serve to affirm that whilst ‘Inside Other Spaces. Environments by Women Artists 1956-1976’ , realised over the course of three years, brings together artists from Asia to Europe, along with North and South America it’s the female experience which truly stretches far and wide.
