For that reason, looking at art through the lens of the gender of its creator matters, particularly because there's been a lot of historical nonsense about whether women are "able" to make good art, or if their hands are just too weak to hold brushes properly. Should we be focusing on the gender of artists? Shouldn't it just be all about the aaaaht, darling? This question tends to crop up in a lot of discussions of feminism and women generally, but the answer is the same for artists as it is for CEOs, sportspeople, and politicians: while one day equality will create the conditions that let us put gender out of the picture, it's still a factor, deeply structurally embedded in our society, and one that tends to leave women behind. And if you believe in good art, there are a lot of very good reasons to celebrate the sh*t out of the excellent stuff currently and historically made by women. Every time you buy a book by a woman, a painting, a ticket to a show, an LP, a piece from a gallery opening, a zine, you're participating in an extremely long discourse about women's artistic talent, biology, and the quest for artistic greatness. But the reality of supporting woman-made art is more nuanced than just following the talent.
One just won the Forward Prize, another is putting on a performance piece to break open rape culture, and yes, I will brag about them from here to oblivion, because they are awesome. I am very, very lucky to know some spectacular artists who are female.
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