Uncomfortable, But Must Be Confronted

Sisterhat’s Exhibition Ordinary Violence

Set of 6 Pussy Postcards by Sisterhat (Source: Sisterhat Twitter/X @sisterhat)

In the history of contemporary Korean art, very few exhibits by Korean feminist artists have been shown since the 2000 exhibit A-bang-gung: Jongmyo Occupation Project by the feminist artist group Ipgim. It is difficult for artists to continue to produce their works in Korea, if they are not already famous, or if they do not have support from Arts Council Korea, a regional government, or a private foundation. In this sense, it is reasonable to say that producing artwork is truly a matter of survival for artists pursuing activist art that encompasses social commentary; feminist art is no exception.

In the early 2000’s, feminist artists were not very visible in the realm of Korean fine art due to the depressed atmosphere of the feminist movement. However —fortunately or unfortunately —due to a chain of events in 2015 such as a young Korean man with the surname Kim joining ISIS because he hated feminism and the appearance of the feminist online community ‘Megalia,’ hate crimes and hate speech against women became a hot issue and conditions began to change gradually. Feminist groups started to form in art schools, and news of feminist artists’ activity began to be heard every now and again. It was in this state of affairs that I visited an exhibition by the feminist visual art community Sisterhat.

Feminist Art as Activism

Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Monet’s Water Lillies—that is what the general public, who did not major in art, thinks of when someone mentions “fine art”: a masterpiece hung on the wall of a museum or, at least, a completed expression of an artistic intention rendered in a specific medium, something to please the viewer’s visual and aesthetic sensibilities. However, contemporary art no longer aims to achieve these imperatives; no longer is the goal a masterpiece hung on the wall.

Many contemporary fine artists seek to actively engage with society by exposing social problems and making them into an issue. For them, art is not only an end, but also a means—a tool—for activism. The works produced with this intention or through it do not stimulate people’s sensibility by so-called aesthetic beauty; rather, they create a discomfort which is not easy to face. Feminist art is—without a doubt—at the forefront of contemporary art’s effort to make us uncomfortable rather than aesthetically pleased.

This aspect can be found in the works of Sisterhat, who started their work identifying themselves as a feminist visual art community. Sisterhat’s activism reflects women’s issues, such as inequality, and draws attention to them–thus increasing public awareness and urging action to remedy injustice. To start a discussion on the human rights of sex workers in Miari [a red-light district in Seoul] in 2015, Sisterhat chose ‘sexual violence’ as the theme for their exhibition Ordinary Violence which opened at the Seongbuk Seoul Art Space on April 14, 2016.

Hello, Sisterhat!