On the night of the opening the artist will actively construct a new collective women's space (in the form of a wood structure) along with audience members as a performance piece. Tools will be put out and viewers will be able to participate. In addition to her series of photographs and portraits of women, DeVun has made light boxes that include images inspired by vintage photographs of street marchers and protesters. These photographs are political and anthemic, an homage to the impressive energy of feminists in the 1970s. DeVun’s exhibit draws its title from a quotation from “Lesbian Land,” published during the 1970s and 1980s. It is a compilation of writing by lesbians who founded or lived in women’s intentional communities, sometimes called “womyn’s lands.” DeVun's work combines documentary and staged photography in an effort to collapse and interweave the different generations of lesbian/ transgender/queer people who have been involved in the creation of feminist space, as well as to picture the relationship between utopian ideals and hard-fought reality. 0.Community Discussion: Thursday, June 24th at 7pm
"A Brief History of Queer Space" Join us for a conversation with artist Leah DeVun and Dr. Lisa Moore, Associate Professor of English and Women's and Gender Study at UT. She is the author of the forthcoming "Sister Arts: Lesbian Genres and the Erotic Landscape" (Minnesota 2011).
