Fragile Fertilisation
The paper flowers symbolizes the vulnerable position that women have occupied in art for years. This work shows the structural underexposed position of female artists in arts. The paper flowers symbolize a sincere hope for improvement, in this case within the art world itself. In Dutch (and worldwide) art history, attention to female artists is marginal.
About
Only in recent years has some improvement been visible, such as the introduction of female painters in the Gallery of Honor of the Rijksmuseum. For a long time their work was not taken seriously, they were excluded from art courses or were only allowed to paint flower still lifes.
The paper flowers break this pattern: they grow hopefully from their frames towards a future with equal treatment. The flowers chosen are not random; they symbolize concepts such as despair and healing (marigold), gratitude (sunflower) and energy (gerbera) and are inspired by the work of Rachel Ruysch.
The story behind
Dutch history has shaped the lack of visibility of women art makers up until today. The dominant position of men over women in society negatively affected the value assigned to the work made by women. Women were not allowed to work as an artist, which forced them to rely on the generosity of men in their direct surrounding to be exposed to material and training.
If women had the opportunity to create art, their subject was restricted as well. Still life, such as flowers, was considered a suitable subject, while topics with more public display, such as mythological or religious matters, were available only to men.
It is stated by Dutch art institutions that it is harder to show historic work made by women in great retrospectives. This is due to the limited amount of work available of a woman artist and the fragile material used, such as paper.
The exclusion is not due to a lack of female artists, but due to a systematic pattern of exclusion. The paper flowers refer to the position of women created by patriarchal structures and behaviors in Dutch society.
Creating awareness hopefully leads to more conscious decisions and actions at Dutch art institutions to change the pattern of structural exclusion of women artists, resulting in more recognition and visibility of historic and contemporary women artists.
