Looking past the onslaught of nausea brought about by the inauguration of Donald Trump this weekend, you may be looking for some sort of artistic counter-programming. It is especially important in light of the fact that Trump and his fascistic cronies/Russian handlers have already insinuated that they want to eliminate various major arts endowments. If you're looking for an exhibit that is counter to everything Trump stands for, we heartily recommend checking out Marilyn Minter's 'Pretty/Dirty' retrospective, now at the Brooklyn Museum.
According to the museum, Minter’s sensual paintings, photographs, and videos "vividly explore complex and contradictory emotions around beauty and the feminine body in American culture. She trains a critical eye on the power of desire, questioning the fashion industry’s commercialization of sex and the body." The retrospective includes pieces from over 40 years of work, including the intersection of food and sex, a photo series on her drug-addicted mother, and work that confronts the manipulative nature of the fashion industry.
You can watch a short film on the exhibit below.
Minter talked with Madonna about the exhibit, art, growing up in NYC, feminism, and the current state of the country at the Brooklyn Museum on Thursday night. Unsurprisingly, there was much talk about Trump: “This is the most frightened I’ve ever been,” Minter said. "The most qualified candidate who ever ran was defeated by the most unqualified candidate who ever ran, and it’s all because of misogyny.”
Madonna tried to find a silver lining: "He’s actually doing us a great service, because we have gone as low as we can go,” she said. “We can only go up from here, so what are we going to do? We have two choices, destruction and creation. I chose creation.” You can watch their whole talk below.
'Pretty/Dirty' is at the Morris A. and Meyer Schapiro Wing on the fifth floor of the Brooklyn Museum, and will be shown through April 2nd. Get more info on the museum's hours here. The program is part of 'A Year of Yes: Reimagining Feminism,' a yearlong series of exhibitions and programs celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Museum's Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art.
