KIM SCHOENSTADT
«I had a simple idea«, Chicago-born, Los An-
with the marvelous opening of »A Year of
artists everywhere. The resultant neglect of
geles-based artist Kim Schoenstadt told me
Yes: Reimagining Feminism«. This time,
women’s contribution to the advance of art
when we met at my New York apartment to
Schoenstadt shared the work of organizing
history is a sad and painful loss to society,
talk about her project. The idea was »a gath-
the event with Shinique Smith. Following the
one that increasingly demands swift and
ering of women artists in a specific city, and
same format, the sequel was documented
effective remedies. However fraught the
these artists would have to breathe, live and
by the camera of Paola Kudacki and an army
prevailing circumstances may have been,
work in this particular chosen city«. Kim and
of smiling volunteers. I stood witness to
though, Schoenstadt's masterful orchestra-
her photographer would then take pictures of the group as a whole in all their diversity. Thus was launched her NOW BE HERE project, version one of which took place on August 28, 2016, at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel in Los Angeles. What made this location rather fitting was that, at the time, the gallery had an ongoing exhibition entitled »Revolution in the Making: Abstract Sculpture
UNDERAPPRE CIATED AND OVERLOOKED: KIM SCHOENSTADT'S AMBITIOUS PRO JECT LITERALLY PUTS A FACE ON FEMALE ARTISTS, CELEBRATING THEIR OFTEN UNSUNG ROLE IN ART HISTORY.
by Women«. Schoenstadt's
this heady event; and although there
tion was joyfully successful, celebrating the
must have been 600 joyous, hugging
accomplishments and persistence of women
women artists, the whole thing was
artists both established and emerging.
very efficient and well regulated – like a kind of exuberant but well-drilled
An Aries like myself, Kim Schoenstadt was
flash mob.
born on April 11, 1973, in Illinois. Today she lives and works in Venice, California. After
After two successful gatherings,
graduating from Pitzer College in 1995 with
Kim Schoenstadt did a third take on
a bachelor's degree in the fine arts, she ap-
December 10, 2016, at the Pérez Art
prenticed with John Baldessari and subse-
Museum Miami (PAMM). Photograph
quently spent 15 years as his studio manager,
number three – poignantly taken by
until finally realizing that it was high time to
Gesi Schilling at a time when issues
do her own conceptual art – which she has
of gender equality and identity were
since been doing with the support of several
simmering as a hot topic of cultural
galleries.
momentous gathering sought to examine
discourse in the United States – involved a
the underappreciated and often overlooked
broad and diverse spectrum of female con-
Kim, I eagerly await news of NOW BE HERE
role of female innovators in 20th-century art
temporary artists from South Florida.
#4! I am very curious indeed to see how, in
history. When the camera started snapping,
various cities, you and your team complete
Schoenstadt was not quite certain exactly
The New York art world differs unques-
the arduous task of tagging everyone from
how many women were actually there. Ulti-
tionably and considerably from that of Los
LA, New York City and Florida who took part
mately, though, 733 jubilant women artists
Angeles, or of South Florida for that matter.
in these spectacular projects. And I can't wait
proudly showed their faces in the sun-baked
That said, the presence of pernicious and
for the release of the official, fully captioned
courtyard for NOW BE HERE #1.
systematic gender imbalance in the mar-
version. Hope to see you again soon. How
Fast forward to October 2016, when NOW BE
ketplace, in curatorial and editorial archives,
about in Zurich?
HERE #2 was hosted by the highly acclaimed
and in the institutional canon transcends
Brooklyn Museum in New York to coincide
geographical boundaries and affects women
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