ABSTRACT
A feminist consciousness was slow to emerge in apartheid South Africa. Reacting against racial prejudice assumed primary significance amongst those of a left-wing persuasion while gender inequities (including those within liberation movements themselves) tended not to be interrogated. It was in fact only in the 1980s that feminism began to assume any influence on politics and cultural forms. But even then, its impact within left-wing circles was limited: while feminist ideas became increasingly influential in universities, including their art departments, there was ongoing ambivalence about the value of the feminist project amongst many of a left-wing persuasion operating outside academia. It was in fact only in the run-up to the first democratic election in 1994 that this contention tended to dissipate.
This essay offers an exploration of feminist art in light of these circumstances. Consideration is given to selected works by artists working in feminist frameworks as well as to feminist exhibitions, conferences on art and art festivals that took place in the 1980s. In the course of this overview, the author explains how postmodernism enabled a shift in approach, creating circumstances that enabled the emergence of a feminist art practice. Contending that postmodernist devices allowed local artists to explore ideas and concepts raised by feminists in the West in relation to the cultural and political particularities of a South African milieu, Schmahmann suggests how it enabled the exploration of questions about identity as well as engagement with the complexities of South African histories. Through this analysis, she proposes that the works resulting from such processes could be interpreted as arguments for the relevance of feminism in a context where its value was in dispute.
