In this episode of ARTSNIGHT, the director of Manchester's Whitworth Art Gallery reflects on the extent to which opportunities for women in the arts and politics are still restricted, a century after the Suffragette movement campaigned for votes for women. She interviews a variety of luminaries including actor-turned former MP Glenda Jackson and artist Sarah Lucas.
The basic argument for this documentary was straightforward; its implications less so. Balshaw argued quite forcefully that women should 'fight' harder by challenging traditional male bastions of privilege and patronage and thereby securing a greater voice for their work. This might seem workable in theory, but it might be argued that the whole concept of fighting is a male-oriented concept; for females to employ such methods simply turns the binary on its head with women assuming the male-dominant role. Perhaps there are alternative, less confrontational methods of finding spaces.
The need to use such methods was emphasized by Jackson, who talked a lot about the ways in which life had changed little for women during the sixty years of her career, but nonetheless she would still continue to fight for her sex in her late seventies. Lucas was less aggressive in her replies, believing that art could make its own statement, so long as it was sufficiently expressive of its creator's intentions.
The ARTSNIGHT strand is a consistently fascinating weekly insight into different views on the arts. While some of the points of view might appear more cogent than others, the program nonetheless retains its attraction. All credit to the NEWSNIGHT team for continuing to run it.
The basic argument for this documentary was straightforward; its implications less so. Balshaw argued quite forcefully that women should 'fight' harder by challenging traditional male bastions of privilege and patronage and thereby securing a greater voice for their work. This might seem workable in theory, but it might be argued that the whole concept of fighting is a male-oriented concept; for females to employ such methods simply turns the binary on its head with women assuming the male-dominant role. Perhaps there are alternative, less confrontational methods of finding spaces.
The need to use such methods was emphasized by Jackson, who talked a lot about the ways in which life had changed little for women during the sixty years of her career, but nonetheless she would still continue to fight for her sex in her late seventies. Lucas was less aggressive in her replies, believing that art could make its own statement, so long as it was sufficiently expressive of its creator's intentions.
The ARTSNIGHT strand is a consistently fascinating weekly insight into different views on the arts. While some of the points of view might appear more cogent than others, the program nonetheless retains its attraction. All credit to the NEWSNIGHT team for continuing to run it.
