Conference Presentations by Hanna Exel
Since their formation in 1991, the lesbian feminist artist collective known as fierce pussy has c... more Since their formation in 1991, the lesbian feminist artist collective known as fierce pussy has created public interventions calling for gay and lesbian rights, dyke visibility, and an increased governmental response to the AIDS crisis. The group produces its projects collaboratively and circulates them as widely as possible through the formats of poster, broadside, and guerrilla public installation. In this paper, I discuss several projects made in the early years of fierce pussy, from 1991-1995. Proclaiming slogans such as “I AM A lezzie butch pervert feminist amazon bulldagger dyke AND PROUD,” these works employ confrontational language and the bold aesthetics of advertising and political propaganda. fierce pussy’s posters, broadsides and installations spark recognition and connection between their lesbian viewers, promoting a sense of belonging as well as a will to political action. Following the work of Nancy Fraser and Michael Warner, in this paper I discuss fierce pussy’s works as instantiations of public address that facilitate the cohesion and discourse of a radical lesbian counterpublic.
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This paper considers intersections between materiality and affect through an examination of cloth... more This paper considers intersections between materiality and affect through an examination of cloth relics in medieval and contemporary contexts. Cloth has a unique ability to hold traces of the people who interact with it, be they tangible (as with fluids and scents) or intangible (holy power and memory).
Medieval Christians believed that cloth relics became sanctified through their proximity to the bodies of the holy. This paper examines the conceptions about matter that undergirded belief in the power of such contact relics. I take as example medieval views of the Mandylion and the Image of Edessa, both of which are believed to show Christ’s face fixed miraculously to the cloth.
Though different historical conditions might make for an unlikely comparison, artistic and activist projects of the AIDS crisis are linked to medieval relics through their uses of cloth’s material memory. I consider artist Daniel Goldstein’s 1993 "Icarian" series, wherein the leather covers of weight machines from a gay gym preserve the sweaty imprints of the men who exercised there during the peak years of the epidemic. Likewise, the garments stitched into the panels of the AIDS Quilt become powerful memorials to their former wearers. The works discussed make publicly visible the lives of those unjustly taken from life before their time. Cloth remembers, and insists that we remember.
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Interviews by Hanna Exel
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Books by Hanna Exel
Co-editor, with Molly Stein and A.F. Capel, of Oberlin College's 2012 Senior Studio Catalogue. Pu... more Co-editor, with Molly Stein and A.F. Capel, of Oberlin College's 2012 Senior Studio Catalogue. Published by Wilder Voice Press, Oberlin OH.
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Conference Presentations by Hanna Exel
Medieval Christians believed that cloth relics became sanctified through their proximity to the bodies of the holy. This paper examines the conceptions about matter that undergirded belief in the power of such contact relics. I take as example medieval views of the Mandylion and the Image of Edessa, both of which are believed to show Christ’s face fixed miraculously to the cloth.
Though different historical conditions might make for an unlikely comparison, artistic and activist projects of the AIDS crisis are linked to medieval relics through their uses of cloth’s material memory. I consider artist Daniel Goldstein’s 1993 "Icarian" series, wherein the leather covers of weight machines from a gay gym preserve the sweaty imprints of the men who exercised there during the peak years of the epidemic. Likewise, the garments stitched into the panels of the AIDS Quilt become powerful memorials to their former wearers. The works discussed make publicly visible the lives of those unjustly taken from life before their time. Cloth remembers, and insists that we remember.
Interviews by Hanna Exel
Books by Hanna Exel
Medieval Christians believed that cloth relics became sanctified through their proximity to the bodies of the holy. This paper examines the conceptions about matter that undergirded belief in the power of such contact relics. I take as example medieval views of the Mandylion and the Image of Edessa, both of which are believed to show Christ’s face fixed miraculously to the cloth.
Though different historical conditions might make for an unlikely comparison, artistic and activist projects of the AIDS crisis are linked to medieval relics through their uses of cloth’s material memory. I consider artist Daniel Goldstein’s 1993 "Icarian" series, wherein the leather covers of weight machines from a gay gym preserve the sweaty imprints of the men who exercised there during the peak years of the epidemic. Likewise, the garments stitched into the panels of the AIDS Quilt become powerful memorials to their former wearers. The works discussed make publicly visible the lives of those unjustly taken from life before their time. Cloth remembers, and insists that we remember.