Project Uterus Effects 2019-
Uterus Effects is a long-term research project that in a wide range of formats, such as publications, discussions and workshops, problematizes the relationship between art and the term women*. Starting from the assumption that the representation of a woman in public discourse is still most often related to the traditionally assigned roles of a passive subject, cheerful mother who fulfills her biological function of giving birth or a self-evident caregiver, with this project we want to show the „dark side“ of this self-evident media image.
In the first publication of the same name, we gathered works of art, analytical texts and texts in „free“ form that thematize the reproductive function of the uterus (childbirth) and dysfunction (diseases of the organs of the reproductive system), while the next publication will deal with female* breasts and their artistic and analitical interpretations.
Uterus Effects: book, talk and music
Online event via FB LIVE in BCS (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian)
http://www.facebook.com/events/811157129423973//
Moderator: Mirjana Đotunović Mustra
Participants: Aleksandra Aleksić, Željka Aleksić, Milena Gajić, Tatjana Hardikov and Ivana Kralj
Music by KATHI POWER http://soundcloud.com/katharina-kawalle/
Friday, 26th of September 17h-20h
Bezirksmuseum Ottakring (1160, Richard-Wagner-Platz 19b)
As we did not manage to hold presentations of the book in March due to the Coronavirus pandemic, now we have the opportunity to start a conversation in a completely new format about the topics imposed by the pandemic itself in the context of art, migration, motherhood, and patriarchy. Since the participants in the publication are also participants in the presentation, we will be able to hear their experiences both regarding the publication and about the overall situation in society.
Potential questions/issues: How has our way of life changed? How will it continue? How can we defend ourselves against incipient patriarchal (re)structuring? How exactly are we as artists and migrants affected? How has the COVID 19 world crisis changed our artistic work practice?
Publication Uterus Effects
The publication Uterus Effects is an experimental feminist endeavor aimed at identifying and analyzing the social, political, and cultural interpretation of the reproductive system organs’ functions (maternity), and dysfunctions (diseases) of the organs of the reproductive system. Given that there is a lack of public discourse, and insufficient attention is paid to a woman* in her late pregnancy, after childbirth, or during the recovery from cancer surgery or other diseases of reproductive organs, this publication has aspired to provide the necessary space for all those who wanted to share their own experience, or reflections on this topic. An important aspect of thinking about this topic is the context of art, and art as a potential therapeutic agent for the faster psycho-physical recovery. Therefore, the publication is the sum of analytical texts, “free” (artistic) forms and illustrations, which represent the relationship between art and maternity/motherhood, or reproductive system diseases.
The publication was made through an open call, where all submitted works were included with the minimal proofreading and design intervention.
The content is divided into three parts: the frst part covers analytical texts which, from different theoretical and methodological approaches, interpret topics such as motherhood dysfunctionality seen in the artist Tabita Rezaire’s work titled Sugar Walls Teardom (by Giulia Guaran), the maternal aspect of Virgin Mary (by Jovana Pikulić), and the art therapy as a way of dealing with trauma (by Ivana Mančić). The second part collects the works created in “free” form, where we can read about maternity ward (negative) experiences in the form of a diary segment, by Petja Grafenauer, and in the form of letters by Jelena Milojević. This part is also embellished with a “documentary drama” and translation of the Käthe Leichter questionnaire (placed at the end of the book) by Jelena Micić. In the third part of the publication, the reader will find the illustrations and brief explanations of the works, by the artists themselves: Dženana Pindžo-Mekić, Flora Lu, Jana Adamović, Jelena Cvetković, Kathleen Day, Laura Mahnke, Marija Janković, Mia Arsenijević, Milena Gajić, Nina Babić, Sanja Umičević, Saša Bezjak, Tatjana Hardikov, Vladislava Savić and Željka Aleksić.
Year: 2020
Hardcover: 128 Pages
Publisher: Verein Kustentropie
Editor: Amalija Stojsavljevic
Language: English
ISBN: 978-3-200-06841-4
PRICE: 10EUR plus shipping
Call for contribution for a publication on Art, Maternity and Reproductive System Diseases
As a part of the Project Uterus Effects, supported by the Cultural Department of the City of Vienna (MA7) and the District-oriented Cultural Affairs (Bezirksorientierte Kulturangelegenheiten) of the 16th Vienna District, the Association Kunstentropie is launching an Open Call for visual and textual works that would be reproduced in a publication of the same name.
It is intended that the publication contains ten (10) analytical or critical texts, five (5) texts in "free" (artistic) form and twenty (20) illustrations that would respond to the topic of the Project.
The Project Uterus Effects is an experimental-feminist endeavor aimed at identifying and analyzing social, political and cultural interpretations of the functions (maternity) or dysfunctions (diseases) of the reproductive system organs. Given that the public discourse lacks or does not pay much attention to a women* during the late pregnancy, after childbirth, or during recovery from cancer surgery (or some other diseases) of reproductive organs, this publication aims to provide the necessary space for all those who wish to share own experience or reflection on this topic. We would also like to perceive the entire Project in the context of art, that is, to present and analyze different art forms and media as potential therapeutic agents for faster psycho-physical recovery. Therefore, the publication should be the sum of texts, illustrations, and "free" (artistic) forms which would represent the relationship between art, maternity/motherhood and reproductive system diseases.
The criteria for the texts:
*Textual contributions, whether scientific texts, essays, analyzes or reviews, are welcome
*Potential topics: relation between feminism and reproductive system disease; maternity/ motherhood and feminism; art as therapy; postpartum and post-operative depression; maternity/ motherhood and reproductive system disease in anthropology and ethnology; the state's attitude to women's reproductive health; (authors are also free to expand and define the topic according to the above framework)
*Text should be up to 2 000 words, the font Times New Roman font, size 12, spacing 1.5
*Short biography (up to 500 characters) in free form
*The text should be in English
The criteria for "free" (artistic) form:
*"Free" form may include works such as poetry, short stories, diary segments or other printable media, that is, in accordance with the theme of the Project/publication
*Text should be up to 2 000 words, the font Times New Roman font, size 12, spacing 1.5
*Short biography (up to 500 characters) in free form
*The text should be in English
The criteria for documentation of visual works:
*That the works were created during pregnancy, in the months after birth or during the coping with the psycho-physical consequences of reproductive system disease
*That the aforementioned states map a change in the artistic practice
*Authors, if desired, can also send short textual description of their (mental or physical) condition during the creation of works as addition to the illustrations
*Works must be submitted in .jpg format in size not less than A4 (29,7x21cm) with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi
*Short biography (up to 500 characters) in free form
All works should be submitted no later than December 31, 2019 to the E-mail: kunstentropie@gmail.com with the caption “For Publication - Uterus Effects”. If there are any additional questions regarding the Open Call, you can send them to E-mail: kunstentropie@gmail.com, and they will be answered as soon as possible.