We Are All Susie
For the occasion of the event Open Studios Borgerstraat in Rotterdam in July 2021, I received the kind invitation to collaborate with the Brazilian artist Wilma Kun.
Our meeting spontaneously opened up a very precious social and political dialogue among us and the debates and conversations we had, lead us to the same urge to answer some common questions like - What does it mean to be a woman and what kind of stereotypes are still there outside in the society that still need to be discussed and challenged? What does it mean to feel feminine or first of all, how is it defined femininity?
This project titled We Are All Susie focus on answering those initial and very important questions, starting from the very genuine exchange between Wilma and I, by placing and involving at a first stage our individual experiences as well, as women, female artists and activists in these social issues.
The work found immediately a common language in the same will to research and think more and beyond about what we also have been unable to answer.
So we decided to start to open up the topic among the people surrounding us who have been interviewed and invited to participate with their individual point of view as well.
Any gender, age or nationality have been more than welcome to place their own voices by taking part of it equally. During the work in progress, Wilma and I, noticed the variety of approaches and responses which put moreover in discussion the concept of a stereotype differently.
How can we define when it is the matter of a stereotype or not? - what can be a stereotype for one, may not be at all for another one.
We Are All Susie it is presented here as a work in progress showing some of the first attempts in its initial shape of performative experiments and different artistic approaches and techniques.
Our meeting spontaneously opened up a very precious social and political dialogue among us and the debates and conversations we had, lead us to the same urge to answer some common questions like - What does it mean to be a woman and what kind of stereotypes are still there outside in the society that still need to be discussed and challenged? What does it mean to feel feminine or first of all, how is it defined femininity?
This project titled We Are All Susie focus on answering those initial and very important questions, starting from the very genuine exchange between Wilma and I, by placing and involving at a first stage our individual experiences as well, as women, female artists and activists in these social issues.
The work found immediately a common language in the same will to research and think more and beyond about what we also have been unable to answer.
So we decided to start to open up the topic among the people surrounding us who have been interviewed and invited to participate with their individual point of view as well.
Any gender, age or nationality have been more than welcome to place their own voices by taking part of it equally. During the work in progress, Wilma and I, noticed the variety of approaches and responses which put moreover in discussion the concept of a stereotype differently.
How can we define when it is the matter of a stereotype or not? - what can be a stereotype for one, may not be at all for another one.
We Are All Susie it is presented here as a work in progress showing some of the first attempts in its initial shape of performative experiments and different artistic approaches and techniques.
‘Femininity is for me something round, soft, a grave tone of voice,
a delicate touch.
My femininity is also not linked to the other, I don't need my femininity to be for someone else, although I live in a world with other people in which there may be an interaction due to my femininity’
‘A color that I can easily associate to femininity is red.’
Wal
Toque
video and performance by Nola Minolfi
as a visual translation of Wal’s words.
Rotterdam, June 2021
Iris
Interview by Nola and Wilma
Photographs by Nola Minolfi
WE ARE
ALL BORN
ORIGINAL
Work by Wilma and Nola
Left: Installation work by Wilma Kun
Right: Photograph by Nola Minolfi
Collages and compositions
by Wilma and Nola
by Wilma and Nola
Sebastian
Interview by Nola and Wilma
Video edited by Nola Minolfi
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