The Art of “Anonymous Was a Woman”

The 25 years of awards honoring fifteen women artists annually features an eclectic range of artists addressing art from many perspectives in work ranging from the delicate to the muscular, from the fragile to the industrial, from the concrete to the ephemeral, and to the conceptual, the emotional, and the technological. 

Despite the fact that the word “anonymous” implies unknown or even erased, this show honors women who have been recognized for their ability to claim a space in the pantheon of modern creators. The work of the 41 artists included in Anonymous Was A Woman: The First 25 Years, on view through July 19th, is not primarily about resentment or anger– though, sometimes it is– but more about imagination, self-realization, and exploring the nature of media and modes of expression. 

The show features mind-and-body artist Rona Pondick, whose severe resin self-portrait bust, wryly titled Magenta Swimming in Yellow (2015–17), appears to preside over the entire gathering, setting the tone with its witty, jello-like rubbery bearing, contrasting its apparent sternness. 

Otherwise dominant is Jeanne Silverthorne’s huge, disheveled black wax chandelier, at once sad and threatening, positioned in a nearby room, seeming to actively decompose with its electrical cord dangling disconnectedly across the floor. It contrasts with a lively playful Los Angeles-inspired abstract painting by Mary Heilmann, who counters darkness with a jazzy, vibrant Pop-AbEx work, Jack of Hearts (2000).

At the other extreme, we see Julianne Swartz’s delicate assertion of the ephemeral embodied in her simple sheet of paper stirring barely perceptibly under the pull of magnetism, intriguing by virtue of the artist’s technical inscrutability. She activates the intermedial with air, sound, and magnetism.

More conventional video is in play with Janet Biggs’ underwater depiction of a swimmer in a 2007 piece, Airs Above the Ground, showing the figure’s determined potential for physical endurance. 

Drawing and gesture also have their moment in works by the late artists Joyce Pensato and Ida Applebroog. Both tackle wild expressionistic cartoon gestures, Pensato’s gruff Mickey Mouse is an unashamed pugilist, and Appleboog brings to bear a touchingly grotesque portrayal in pink gampi paper, mylar, and ink of a naked old lady, titled Monalisa (2009).

Chakai Booker tackles the most blustery of works, confounding viewers with her take on “junk”– that is, concoctions created with junkyard objects and other discarded materials, applied to strange yet powerful effects. She costumes herself architecturally in shredded rubber-tire gear and headdresses made of colorful international textiles. She could be viewed as a version of Louise Nevelson in rags.