Female Graffiti Artists

Amanda Leung

Professor Cacoilo

Post #4

18 April 2017

Five Female Graffiti Artists

When asked about graffiti artists, the ones people will name include Banksy and Taki 183 -- whom are both male street artists. Being a female artist is in no way easy, since they are constantly overshadowed by their male colleagues. However, it’s even more difficult for women in the graffiti world, since this type of art is dominated by males. Just like the Guerilla Girls, female graffiti artists are fighting against discrimination from a male dominated industry and breaking traditional barriers. I will focus on five female graffiti artists: Lady Pink, Swoon, Leticia Mandragora, Gemma Gene and Faith47 to prove that females can indeed be great graffiti artists.

Lady Pink

"Lady Skater" by Lady Pink

Lady Pink is considered the pioneer of female graffiti artists. She began creating graffiti pieces in 1979, and started to become “well known as the only female capable of competing with the boys in the graffiti subculture” (Brooklyn Museum). Lady Pink was inspired by the growing Feminist Movement during the time period, as she wanted to prove the males in her life wrong that she wasn’t capable of certain abilities. Her goal with her art was to fight for women’s rights and gender equality. She started off painting subway trains and then transitioned into larger mediums, such as murals. Due to the popularity of her work, Lady Pink has had exhibits in Whitney Museum, the MET and the Brooklyn Museum. Lady Pink currently resides in New York, where she continues to do commissioned pieces, as well as teach her skills to children in schools.

Swoon

"Sambhavna" by Swoon

Swoon, real name: Caledonia Dance Curry, is a graduate of Pratt Institute and known for her contributions to the Pop Art Movement. For her art, Swoon uses recycled newsprint paper to create life-size human forms that she puts on the streets of New York with the help of wheatpaste (Art Net). Swoon’s work is often found in random places throughout New York, such as trash cans and light poles, because she chooses locations for her work based on space availability and visibility. Her purpose of the work she creates is to motivate action in others for social change. Swoon is a notable street artist because she is constantly defying her critics. Her work is considered “defacement of property” (ArtNet), but she overlooks her critics because she notes that none of her work is permanent.

Leticia Mandragora

Leticia Mangradora

Leticia is an Italian-Spanish graffiti artist who is known for her international pieces. Mandragora has done projects in Norway, Miami, Las Vegas, Mexico, and many other cities across the world. During my email interview with Mandragora, she revealed how she faces difficulties as a female street artist since the number of these types of artists are low, so she constantly has to prove herself to the street art community. Mandragora revealed in our email interview how “the message of [her] work is the exaltation of the importance of the female figure in all of human life.” With her with, Mandragora tries to express the importance of women, in their true aspects of human life. She also noted how she enjoys graffiti art since it’s free, so it allows her to express her feelings to a large audience.

Gemma Gene

"Glam Girl" by Gemma Gene

Gemma is an architect and visual artist from Spain, who know resides in New York after moving to this city to attend school at Columbia University. The primary focus of Gene’s art is  wrapped objects and foiled balloons. Gene uses her architectural skills in her art pieces, which is why some of her pieces have three-dimensional aspects. When I asked Gene about her experiences as a female street artist, she said that “Today female artists have much more opportunities than they used to. And there are many well-known female artists. However, street art still feels like a boy’s club to [her]. And it is a very unfair field.” As Gene emphasizes, female artists in the graffiti art world are still actively fighting for acceptance since the field is very unfair due to the male dominance in it. The words of Gene are similar to those of the women in the modernist art movement because although they are given more freedom with their work, they still face obstacles due to the male critics in the field.

Faith47

"All shall be equal before the law" by Faith47

Faith47 is an international visual artist from South Africa who focuses on expressing personal truth in her pieces. She describes how her “her work is both an internal and spiritual release that speaks to the complexities of the human condition, its deviant histories and existential search” (Faith47). Faith47 is an important female street artist because she uses her work to defend people’s rights by creating social awareness of various issues. The main inspiration for her work is the political and social issues in South Africa, which is why most of her pieces feature solitary characters with messages. Faith47 also focuses on feminist strength in her work, since she has experienced injustice firsthand since she’s a single mother. In her murals, Faith47 portrays women“[..] like goddesses mixing extreme beauty, purity and awe” (Street Art Bio). Faith47 is an important female street artist because she uses her work to spread the message of female strength, as well as bring social awareness to the issues occurring in South Africa.

In London, there is a street art festival called Femme Fierce that celebrates women graffiti artists. This festival is important because if specifically focuses on female artists, even though the graffiti world is male dominated. It also shows that women in the street art field are in fact talented, and that they are currently breaking barriers and transforming the field.

Works Cited

"About." Gemma Gene, gemmagene.com/about/.

"About Faith47." Street Art Bio, www.streetartbio.com/about-faith47-biography.

"Biography." Faith47, faith47.com/biography/.

"Lady Pink." Brooklyn Museum, www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/feminist_art_base/lady-pink.

"Swoon." ArtNet, Artnet Worldwide Corporation, www.artnet.com/artists/swoon/biography.

Image sources:
http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/brooklyn-street-art-swoon-jaime-rojo-12-10-web-2.JPG
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/assets/system-images/remote/https_d1lfxha3ugu3d4.cloudfront.net/fab/images/565.1526.jpg
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/assets/system-images/remote/https_d1lfxha3ugu3d4.cloudfront.net/fab/images/565.1526.jpg
https://gemmagenec.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/gemma-gene_100-gates-project_glam-girl-finished.jpg?w=700
http://www.thisthenthat.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/graffiti-in-Cape-town-by-Faith47--e1354023561140.jpg