When I heard about this exhibit on the CBC, I had to look it up. A feminist artist, Allyson Mitchell, has made an installation of female sasquatch sculptures. What got me was the description of the exhibit by the CBC as of a lesbian feminist community, which makes it sound like a sort of Pacific forest amazon community of hairy man haters, female figures inserted into a male mythos. I don't mean to put down the exhibit, as my specialty in art historical studies was feminist theory and gender relations, but really - lesbian feminist sasquatches? Kudos to Mitchell for coming up with something that really grabs a headline and gets people talking.
I should note that the "lesbian" bit didn't come from the exhibit synopsis, it was added by the (male) commentator on the CBC. Maybe that says something about the perception of lesbian culture. Hairy she-sasquatches sounds like a reflection of lesbian stereotypes more than a celebration of lesbian culture or a challenge to said stereotypes. But then again, "feminist" art / theory has never been anywhere near unified in its approach, and I expect that this exhibit will raise the ire of some within the artistic community as well as the uninformed public. Perhaps that is the whole point. Art is nothing if it can't raise some eyebrows and get people talking.
I.A.
