In the art world, as in the real world, women are often underrepresented. Only around 5 percent of the artwork in major U.S. museums is by female artists, even though, according to a 2010 National Endowment for the Arts survey, 51 percent of visual artists are women. And on average, they earn 81 cents for every dollar a male artist makes. In light of this bleak picture of gender parity, “Woman As Warrior,” a group show at Bridgeport’s Zhou B Art Center, seems to be a step in the right direction.
Yet on the whole, “Woman As Warrior” isn’t very impressive. Many pieces, in particular the paintings, feel uninspired, with the artists interpreting the theme too literally. A color photograph by Debra Livingston shows a lady dressed as Wonder Woman with a raven balanced on her raised fist. In Alia El-Bermani’s painting Hear Me, a young woman viewed in profile opens her mouth wide; “roar” has been buzzed into the side of her hair. She’s one of several figures pictured screaming. At this point the notion that women who are vocal or angry are also strong, let alone heroic, is obvious and tired.
“There’s something for every viewer,” Gomez says. “This is something that our center would like to do: collaborate and bring work to Chicago and make it available for our community.”
Through 10/13: Mon-Sat 10 AM-5 PM Zhou B Art Center 1029 W. 35th 773-523-0200zhoubartcenter.com Free
