Riot Grrrls
At the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Fact: women get marginalized. Also a fact: when it happens, women get loud and make themselves heard. The art world is no exception. Riot Grrrls, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is a direct response to gender bias with a celebration of bold, breakthrough abstract painting.
Curator Michael Darling has pulled selections from the MCA’s existing collection (some more recent acquisitions on display for the first time) as a representation of overlooked but important painting created by women. “This is a battle that should have been won a long time ago, but it still persists,” he comments. “What these women are doing can be seen as feminist statements when you stop to think how they are operating in a male-dominated field. But they are artists first—painters making great paintings.”
Riot Grrrls is, above all, an exhibition of strong, innovative work. Ten contemporary female painters are featured, from pioneering painters like Mary Heilmann to a newer crop of rebels like Molly Zuckerman-Hartung and Amy Feldman. Judy Ledgerwood’s bold commentary on the feminine and decorative, Sailor See Green, is a standout.
Riot Grrrls is on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago through June. 18. We’ve selected a few highlights from the show, below.
