Tuesday, March 20, 2007

East and West

On my way to work, it becomes apparent that the cultural divide between east and west grows daily even though the world is becoming smaller. Over the past few months I have been exposed to perspectives from many women from many different social backgrounds. If I had not been shown through art that there are kindred spirits even in cultures so extreme from mine, then the divisions between women of color or women of a different god or women of a
            different political party could have been frighteningly
erected through my whole internal system. The great divide, separating me from like-minded women, could have been fully operational even without me being aware of it at first. Just because of cultural differences, which we associate with an enemy.
That said, I have been moved by two women with such unique styles and visual voices yet
            both brought up with strong Islamic influence.
They both address our complex modern issues and taboos as women who are a product of
            the west as well as the east.
Shirin Neshat arrests your heart with her photo series "Women of Allah" where exposed
            skin is covered in Farsi. Text by other Iranian female
            writers, who cover the topic of female sexuality, is what is
            written on the body of each woman in her arresting
            photographs.
Just a needle and thread is all Ghada Amer needs to shock and titillate, free you from
            your troubles, and pull you into her world where you
            cannot help but be aroused. Aroused no different than a
            man can be with a female erotic object. Do you walk away
            empowered by an expression of sexual feminism or do you
            walk away having to come to terms with the picture of
            women as erotic sexual objects as desirable? Herein lies the
            massive difference between cheap thrill girly mags and art
            with sex as subject. You cannot escape the effectiveness
            that "toying with control" has, which some of these
            women artists are addressing, as they tackle the
            multifaceted subject of female sexuality. In the case of
            Ghada Amer the viewer is agreeing to take part in viewing
            women as erotic objects because her technique screams "a
            modern chick can still knit" as you the viewer drinks in
            these poses of pornographic women, poses that you will
            find on a man's sex for sale wish list.
There are installations that come and go without me calling up friends and telling them.
"This is something you have to see." But I was curious on how some of my friends would
            react as more women's art on this topic arrives for the
            opening next week.

82 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been looking for you.

Sara said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Katie Claiborne said...

Hi Clyde-
From one art lover to another.
I enjoy your women's art blogs.Please feel free to check out my blog. I am an art lover too

Anonymous said...

Hey Clyde. Looks like we've found you!

Just a quick tip for you and the other dolls.

Copy-pasting text straight into blogger/typepad/whatever creates all those funny line breaks. Copy into wordpad, edit there, and then back into blogger/typepad/whatever. Then you won't have to worry about funny line breaks :)

Keep it up.

Anonymous said...

Hello Clyde, lovely to "meet" you. You sound like a truly fascinating and inspiring woman. Your "Women Artists" project sounds like a dream show, I hope you will share some more of your favourite pieces with us.
I was lucky enough to see "Women of Allah" and it has made me re-examine the way I think about the cultural conflicts happening in our world and the stigmas being engrained in our minds by those in power. In times of war and political crisis, art sometimes has a way of tapping into our unconscious fears and ideals, addressing issues in a way that the nightly news simply couldn't fathom. Thank you for supporting the women artists/warriors.

Anonymous said...

So, the other day, I was reading the lyrics for Programmable Soda and stopped dead in my tracks when I read "genital panic." I found it a really interesting reference, whether intentional or not. Then, just now, I was on a messageboard that had this link, so, I decided to come over and take a look. Having read a bit of your blog now, I have to ask: Is the fact that you're a gallerist of some sort the reason "genital panic" comes up in the song?
Thanks for reading

elisantics said...

Yanno, this is the type of blogs I enjoy reading. This is like an economics textbook. as boring as my personality. please keep the "good" work up!

Anonymous said...

Gotcha! :) This searching is a kind of fun :) Keep posting.

Just can't wait for the ADP :)

Anonymous said...

Hello Clyde,

First, thank you for posting your thoughts on the art and the feminine. It kind of reminds me of the old argument (way back) that artists when fighting the Church about the validation of nude art, saying that they are making an homage to God's creation. These artists though in the past have been male.

Now, in the 21st century, you have the webcam girls, e.g. Ana Voog, who are now taking digital art into their own hands, and stealing the word, "pornography" from the male establishments and redefining it from a woman's perspective. I've been checking Ana's site off and on for seven years, even though I'm female myself. You might want to talk to Tori as she's a good friend of hers.

Sarah Llew said...

Please to meet you Clyde.
I look forward to following your travels.

XXX
The Red Baron of Suburbia

Anonymous said...

i think clyde is the only real one, or the only one i can relate to maybe. i don't know. thanks for making clyde, i guess.

Anonymous said...

Hi! lovely to meet you...

Anonymous said...

Hey there Clyde! Its been so long since the children's art workshop we attended. Lily and Ben have been so inspired since then, creating works of art that melt the heart. Ben has nearly completed his first performance art peice called Not-So-Still-Life With Drool. Lily has just finished a series entitled "Mommy's Roses" in crayon--which I must say has the art world all abuzz. Anyways, I guess your travels will lead you away from us until the tour--until then my friend...Love Lilyscloak

Anonymous said...

I LOVE IT!!!

Anonymous said...

Clyde, you are the last of your posse that I have had to find and may I say, you blog, by fate has definetly been saved best for last. I love that the art work is in there with the blogs. The way you talk about getting lost in art is exactly how I get lost in music. It takes me places I have never been before; to plains I could never walk on this earth. It surrounds me like a hug and can devour me. In this space, it is the only thing that has ever been able to give me what I need or completely understand me. It is a powerful and the way things are in the world at present, I don't know what I would do without it! Much love!

Unknown said...

I LOVE BOUNCING OFF CLOUDS!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Clyde,
Very nice to meet you. Hope you can make it to South Afica some time to check out the art scene. Powerful stories here... And the fashion scene's not bad either! Perhaps you could persuade Tori to come along, I'm sure she'd like it.

Good luck with the next few months and everything you're going through.

Much love,
A
xxx

Anonymous said...

I got so excited when you started talking about Farsi.. then Iranian Women. You never fail to suprise me! I love your creativity. Thank you.

Brett said...

this is cool as shit, Clyde. you fascinate me.

Si said...

You are beautiful, schizophrenic maybe but still beautiful. I mean emotionally, intellectually as well as physically. I saw you nearly ten years ago, at Glastonbury. I watched your friend working her magic on the piano and I have a feeling you were there too. Si

VehnillaMasochist said...

Glad I finally found you. I cannot wait to hear more.

Neela Out

Clyde Craft said...

10 days since this was posted… more then a week. I do so hope that the opening went well. I wish dearly that I could have been there. I try my best to explore all the art museums and colleges in the area and it would be fantastic to travel and see more, especially a place with as fascinating an exposition as you have described working on. Hopefully this show will keep going for awhile despite how much it seems to be contested based on your previous post.

Good luck and my best regards to you.

~Kat

Anonymous said...

Check out

Remedios Varo

Still Life Reviving

http://www.eyeconart.net/history/surrealism.htm

Anonymous said...

where is pip?

Delirium's Librarian said...

check out _Women Without Men_ by Sharnush Parsipur, published by the Feminist Press of New York -- Shirin Neshat is said to be making a film of it. It's the most unbelievably gorgeous series of fables about women's lives in Iran. The author was imprisoned for writing about virginity. I think you'll love it.

Delirium's Librarian said...

check out _Women Without Men_ by Sharnush Parsipur, published by the Feminist Press of New York -- Shirin Neshat is said to be making a film of it. It's the most unbelievably gorgeous series of fables about women's lives in Iran. The author was imprisoned for writing about virginity. I think you'll love it.

LittlEArtisT said...

Hi..., if you see Santa could you tell her this: Butterflies consume themselves, they transform their being by eating their own structures. Isn`t that what beauty is about?? Destroying ourselves trying to reach for what we think perfection is? Be it external or internal beauty, we allways kill a part of ourselves to make some others live. So, if we do that to ourselves, why wouldn`t we do that to others. Thereby I define absolute-huwoman-behaviour.
Well, glad I met you ... Hope to see you on tour

Anonymous said...

hey Clyde!
Did anyone ever tell you that you look like the from the british girl group "Girls Aloud"? well you do!
Please come to do a JUST tori gig in Ireland soon! I know you're playing at Oxygen, but i hate having to share you with non tori people! lol!

xxx, Siobhan!

Unknown said...

True art, in any form, be it visual, musical or written comes from a place beyond our 3 dimensional world. An artist has access to this place, and has the ability to bring this energy down to the 3rd dimension so this energy and the messages contained within it can be released to the human consciousness.
True art and creation is driven by a true and pure motiv. The Word 'motive' is important here. In regards to the portrayal of female sexuality, if in image is created with the pure intent to express the epitomy of the female as a sexual being in every way, then this will be an image holding within it great power. A glossy page on the mens room floor can't be compared to it.
It is about time we opened our eyes and absorbed these great images of art into our being, and find the power they are trying to light within us.

Anonymous said...

Hi Clyde,
I like feminist performance art also. I wonder if you have heard of a performance by Linda Sproul in Melbourne, Australia in the 1990's? It was called "Listen: teeth, nails, knife, belt, cane, whip" about the 'politics' of domestic violence and pleasure/pain. I have a feeling Tori might be interested in this one too...
-B x x

Elizabeth said...

Clyde, I feel such a connection to you. We could have a great chat- my mind overflows with all the things you address. I'm a pianst and photographer, very much aware of what we as women give to the art world and what it can take away from us. I have one blog on abolishing child sex trafficking and a personal one. hugs!

M said...

toying with control..is an interesting issue.

Anonymous said...

Ew, I definitely left that comment on the wrong entry. The comment from your previous entry was intended for this one. Well, depending on who you are and how you read things, I suppose it *could* go either way.

NotoriousRRZ said...

Just heard your song. You are so gorgeous. Hope to see you on tour.

Anonymous said...

"But if no one sees their potential then they may not ever see it themselves and that would be tragic."

I'm beyond fortunate that some teachers stuck by me even as I glared at them, and I love them and am forever indebted to them for it.

Anonymous said...

Heya Hunnybunches!
I have to say it's wonderful to finally meet you. I was curious about you and the other gals for some time now, and now that I've found out you're not only an art lover, but also a person who is akin to Persephone...I feel an even stronger bond than before, since I believe I possess both qualities as well. ( Horrah for Art Majors! ^.^ ) I'd like to recommend Artemisia Gentileschi, she isn't a modern artist, but one of the FIRST female masters, and she lived during the Baroque period. Her series of Judith beheading Holofernes is tantilizing and one of my favorites.
On a less bloody note, I saw your gal-pal Miss Tori in concert for the first time, during the Summer of Sin tour here in America. I went to the Holmdel New Jersey show, and even though the sound cut off during Father Lucifer, Miss T was just an absolute wonder. When she sang Northern Lad, I was moved to tears I was so glad...because I'd been praying for her to sing it that night. And aparently my green bird gave her the messege. So thanks to both of you! ^_^
Much Love;
Laura J. B.

Anonymous said...

There you are, and not a moment too soon!

Anonymous said...

Oh, I tip-toe into your song...And feel familiar...And the heart strings, pluck, plink, tink....YES!bliss.

beautifldisazter said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
beautifldisazter said...

Nice to meet you Clyde. Very interesting you are, then again most people are when looking for themselves.
Im not one who is educated in art but there are the ones that speak to me. Waterhouse is one of my favorites although Lempicka will be added to the list.

Feverishly awaiting the album...

Scarlet said...

As a female artist and musician, I value EVERYTHING you have to give me.

Thanks for it all.


e

Anonymous said...

Please come to australia tori.. we love you, xox

makakai said...

Clyde! Thank you so much for showing me things like Leonora Carrington that I could probably never heard of if it weren't you. And so many things you say are beautiful. Love you. Come to Brazil!!!

Anonymous said...

Dear Clyde,

Nice to meet you! You (and Pip) are my fav from the American Doll Posse! Well, accept for the singer Tori Amos ofcoarse:P

Lovely Blog! ;)

I hope you'll open the show in Amsterdam, june 3th... see you there!

Love (also say hello to Tori Amos for me ;)),

Indra

Chveya said...

Happy easter Clyde. I say this although easter makes me sad. I read the other comments and I feel a little lost. I have missed some crucial bit of information but that is ok. I hope that you are able to become a whole person, I hope we are all able to become whole people. take care of yourself and love to you and all of your beautiful fragments. I hope they all make it home.

Anonymous said...

Dear Clyde,
I'm completely agree with you. You know, art is a powerful weapon, and of course the only wonderful weapon in this always-in-war world. You don't kill anybody with it but you can shoot directly in the heart and the mind of people.. and make them think.. and this is not a few important thing.. this is sorta miracle, a veil of magic power.

I hope to know you personally one day.. I believe we can talk for hours and hours about art in front of a good tea.. and I have even some works to show you, if one day you will help me for an exposition.

Hugs,
Pietro

Anonymous said...

Bah!

My head has gone funny...

moggyroe

Jan Sundström said...

Any chance that you'll book a gig in Stockholm this tour?!
/Jan

Anonymous said...

Hope to see you in America soon... The redheads in wisconsin hope you'll grace us with your presence this year!

Anonymous said...

You're my favorite of the girls. I now want to check out this artwork.

gowda said...

Hi Clyde,

Glad that I found you. Will be seeing you soon on tour...

Anonymous said...

Fun Freakin times, hope you make it to SEATTLE, WOO WOO!!!;P

Von said...

Hey Clyde,

Finally! I've been typing random addresses to see if I could find you :). Please come down to Australia or Singapore (I would say Malaysia as I'm Malaysian but I doubt you'd get through the censorship board...it's got a fledging arts scene and it's growing, but too slow for me). I'm enjoying what I've read so far, please keep it up :)

Anonymous said...

Hey there Clyde,

I'm a Female Muslim, who for the last six years, have been bombarded with opinions and ideas of what Islam is and what I am, all of which have very little to do with...well, Islam and my experience of it.

Explaining my beliefs and trying to portray the real Islam and my place in it as a woman to people has been at times a frustrating, but regular aspect of my life.

Oh how good it is to hear your voice Clyde! We are indeed, much more similar than others will let on.

Look forward to hearing from you soon, keep it up xx

P.S. Try and check out some Tracey Moffat, I think you'll like her too.

MariMari said...

Hoping that someday you'll visit, finally, Portugal... And start to talk about it too... The difference, sometimes, is on our eyes.:)

Social Citizen said...
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Social Citizen said...
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Social Citizen said...

Awesome post, Clyde. Looking forward to hearing more, as well as the release of "American Doll Posse."

I've written about anxiously awaiting the new album over at Nifty Nation. Even mentioned your name. Check-it-out if you have a few moments.

Anonymous said...

Clyde aka Pieces of Tori...

I am spinning with anticipation for the release of this compilation of profound music, lyrics, messages, insight....and muses, not to mention I am curious as to what message will evolve as I listen to each composition of art...you are so elusive like the prestige of a magic trick...I do find my own meaning in your music and piano strokes, but am always curious as to where you are taking me on this musical journey...I just wish I was as gifted as you and could utilize music the way you do....as a new mom I can only hope my daughter who will instantly stop stirring when Ribbons Undone starts will have the sense to develop her love for music and play on her very own Bosendorfer some day

Unknown said...

Hey Clyde! It's good you decided to express a little part of what you think in this blog. It's always good to let it out. I love art too and sometimes I sit down and start thinking about persons and their reason to be and live, but I'll tell you an advice: Don't sumerge too deep because you'll be drowned by your own waves. You have to take a breath once in a while.
Cheers!

Anonymous said...

ummmm okay.......

Unknown said...

Clyde...I think you need to get out of the gallery and into a singles bar. The Impressionists (of which a couple of the notables were female) were an evolution in humanity. They taught society that what you see with your eyes is only part of reality... there is more. Not to study harshly but to glimspe and let the minds eye fill in the picture. A few decades later, Picasso would take thier work and created cubism that changed everything. What this has to do with tits..... I'm alittle foggy on but since I am suffering from testosterone poisoning...I am strangely curious. Please expound on your premise.

Anonymous said...

you fascinate me!!!

Anonymous said...

nice to meet you, Clyde :) i'm writing this comment from Istanbul, Turkey where you may see women strongly influenced by Islam ,women influenced by the "modern" side of west and especially women who are stuck between these two different and strong influences.
i hope we'll be able to see you in Istanbul too :)

Anonymous said...

Hey Clyde,
I have been trying to deal with this balance of female sexuality versus objectification in my own visual art. I started out as a painter and have now grown into video/performance. It seems the single frame was never enough for me to communicate through. In particular though I am looking at the similarities in the hierarchies in medicine and religion and where women find themselves in those hierarchies. Particularly in western culture, although I am appropriating outside of that, of course. The gallery scene doesn't seem to be too hip on it. Maybe your gallery is a little more open. lol.

Addressed to previous "Anonymous said" comment: You are sad sad sad. Your ridiculous comment only reveals your own inability to be present with reality. fuck off!

Anonymous said...

Hi Clyde, just to let you know how much i like your song bouncing off clouds, and by the way, could you tell tori that big wheel is a great one as well :-)
I hope you'll be playing in Paris :p

Love

The Speaker said...

"We are none of us all of a piece; more than one person dwells within us, often in uneasy, but nessecary companionship with her others"
-Somerset Maugham

We wish you blessing and peace.

Love,

Jessieh and her others.

Anonymous said...

Hi Clyde,

It's confused but I see the underlying thread, I guess that's the idea. I think my sis would understand this archetype a little better as she's an artist. As an engineer I'm in the world of logic, and structural strength, and hard cold metal surfaces... but "this is only what this person thinks they are about" yes that struck a chord with me. I have the hard cold metal surface to deal with the ego's I work with, but there's a lot more underneath, just have to find the path for the potential eh..? will keep searching. Thanx. Jen

Anonymous said...

Ghada Amer is amazing.

Anonymous said...

tori didnt write this blog, duh

Kirsi said...

Hei!
I´m so glad that FINALLY you´re coming to Finland whit your friends! THANK YOU.

Kisses to all, Kirsi

Anonymous said...

GHADA AMER PAYS VERY LITTLE AND DOESN"T MAKE HER OWN WORK> A BUNCH OF UNDERPAYED PEOPLE DO

Anonymous said...

damn, these new tori songs are bland, boring and uninspired!

Anonymous said...

Clyde-Tori you are most definately a Milf..love you mucho awesome blog and fantastic new album..
-V

Anonymous said...

Clyde, I think I love you & your words. Are you at all bisexual? ;)

Anonymous said...

Clyde, tell Pip to blog about the practice of Middle Eastern women being stoned to death for no good reasons at all. I feel neither Pip nor yourself could remain silent about that, had you all the info. Love x10 upon your lip-glossed lips.

Anonymous said...

there is nothing contradictory about being a woman with a "unique style" and "visual voice" and having a "strong Islamic influence." Please check your assumptions.
You speak of the gap between east and west widening, and don't seem to understand that it's because people like you refuse to even try to understand. You just assume.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...
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Tim Jones-Yelvington said...

I think it's important, though, to acknowledge "east" and "west" as constructs of a historical (and contemporary) colonial project.

Greekgodlamb said...

to all of those that posted their comments, "Sometimes the best that we could do is to say what we feel". -excerpt from the L word

Happyleighme said...

Confession: I had it in my mind that i would meet Tori - and show her an equal in creative energy... painting, writing pages of life history, stories and poems... and i was going to send them in a glass bottle as an offering... with a set of matches to lite and throw inside ... something along the lines of - if time does not permit for her to read them - then burn them out and use the vessel...
And, as I was envious at the time Tori must have had to create and capture and listen, birth her creations...
i realized we are cosmically created and attaining and evolving connected and apart and that all of us, as we think and feel and act even in the smallest ways will add to the collective evolution...

so i pulled my envy away from her and consider her sister and some times she is a muse who appears to me in my dreams. and for this i am happy and consider her the speaker of my wise self.

and my mourning has stopped. i know i will never meet her and am resolved to think that maybe i know of her even more by not meeting her at all. life happens. love helps. life happens and it fills us up. no more room. no more meetings. and for what? the big question never answered except with feeling - elusive little friend we call feeling. ~misty leigh