Synopsis
This work documents the diversity and vitality of lesbian talent in Australia. A hitherto marginalized group, lesbian artists are now being incorporated into mainstream culture and this work provides an introduction to the issues explored by these artists which include sexuality, mythology and religion, mass media and technology. The development of different modes of production through collaborative processes and collective art making is also discussed. The history of the emergence of lesbian art practice into contemporary culture is charted throughout documentation of alternative exhibition spaces, legislation, protest marches and events such as Mardi Gras. The acceptance of lesbian art as an art of difference rather than of community is examined. The diversity in lesbian art practice is highlighted through the variety of styles, artforms and practices which the author has uncovered. Performance art, film, video, computer generated imagery as well as painting, sculpture, graphic arts and craft reinforce the impression of a vital, imaginative body of work making an important contribution to late 20th-century art.
This study, with its range of theoretical discussion, its historical overview and its profiles of leading practitioners should be a useful resource for artists, students and teachers in art schools, women's, gender and queer studies, feminists, homosexuals and lesbians.
