Editorial

n.paradoxa volume 33 embarks upon the process of selection, even though the volume seeks to embrace a tolerant examining contemporary art today in relation to religion and and cross-cultural approach across Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, religious imagery; and how, as feminists, Buddhism, Sufism, Catholic and Protestant forms of question the connections between patriarchal conceptions of Christianity, Tengrism and different forms of paganism, religious practices, doctrine and rituals as well as the gendered including Shamanism and wicce. Exploring women’s art character of organised religious worship. production – cross-generationally and internationally – is at Thirty five years ago, in 1978, the magazine, the centre of n.paradoxa’s project and the many contributions Heresies, published its 5th issue on ‘The Great Goddess/ here look critically at how religious ideas, symbols, visual Women’s Spirituality’. Their editorial openly acknowledged imagery and deliberate role reversals of patriarchal/gendered how conflicts surrounding the concept of had relations are employed and redeployed in women artists’ arisen amongst the 20-30 women who produced it; resulting works. The legacies of early feminist explorations of religious in a certain “factionalism” as they pursued their collective imagery continue to be important to contemporary artists as process of production through talks and meetings. Its 139 pages they explore different and new aspects of the problematic embraced a wide range of essays including Merlin Stone on imagery and ideas associated with diverse, sometimes the time warp between ‘9978’ and ‘1978’; Lucy Lippard on marginal, religious faiths. This is also evident in recent pre-historic sites (later published in Overlay (1983)); Grace exhibitions: Female Power (MMKA, Arnhem, 2013);Goddess Shinnell on early temples; Buffie Johnson and Tracey Boyd Clap Back: Hip Hop Feminism In Art (:Cue Art on weaving; Judith Todd on opposing the rape of mother earth; Foundation, 2013) and Matronita: Jewish Feminist Art (Ein Carolee Thea on masks, power and sisterhood in African Harod: Museum of Art, 2012). society; Rosemary Dudley on ancient Indian goddess images; For those who seek only certainty and an affirmation of Daniella Gioseffi on Earth Mother Goddesses and Gloria their faith in religious values as God’s truth, contemporary Feman Orenstein’s essay on ‘The Re-Emergence of the Great art can only prove troubling and unsettling in its attempt to Goddess Archetype in art by contemporary women’. This last question meanings and interpretations; particularly from a essay was one of the few to actually address women’s art feminist perspective where the first question is always about production, focusing on ritual performances, even though the patriarchal tendencies of most organised religions and among the many artists whose artworks, poetry or writing the secondary role played by women. For those with an open were featured, were short essays from Mierle Ukeles, Mary mind about how religion is a cultural practice embedded in Beth Edelson and Martha Alsup about their art practice. Many social relations, including politics; a set of observances and of the above essays focused on readings of ancient rituals as well as beliefs and imagery which must be open to archaeological artefacts or sites. questioning – and even reform and transformation – Heresies remains an important inspiration in conceiving contemporary art will provide food for thought about how n.paradoxa as an ideas-based journal on contemporary art, their own religion or others are understood in today’s world. even if collective process was not part of the organisational The reception of contemporary art by women has also structure adopted. This volume, however, is not only about highlighted how relations between nationalist or matriarchy which is both a structure of social organisation fundamentalist interpretations of religions and the power of (inheritance through the mother) and a structure of worship the State collide, as they endorse or sanction prosecutions giving priority to female deities/goddesses. It also makes no for blasphemy or use art as a political football for their own claims to be comprehensive in the religions of the world ends, instead of promoting tolerance for freedom of considered, as this was not the starting point or criteria for expression and religious minorities in the world today. 4 n.paradoxa Vol.33