August 30 — Talk with Yara Ferreira Clüver about Feminist Art and Censorship
Artist Yara Ferreira Clüver knows different people draw the line between fine art and pictures-that-creep-me-out in different places. Put a photo of her two year mashed between two breasts in a photo album and it’s cute; put the same photo in a gallery with the title “Born to Suck” and it’s edgy art; same photo on a pamphlet advertising a faculty art exhibit at DePauw University and you have a national scandal.
When: Thursday August 30, 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, DeBoest Lecture Hall
Free and open to the public
Our major art institutions are filled with images of nudity, mostly of women. We expect to see images, such as the Madonna figure feeding her infant and the reclining female nude, and are not surprised or taken aback by such displays of the female body. Why is it that only certain depictions of female nudity become problematic and lead to censorship? Artist Yara Ferreira Clüver will explore the meaning behind varying depictions of female nudity and why it is that some are acceptable while others are not. She will highlight issues that underlie inequalities that still exist in many facets of our society today.
Ms Clüver is well positioned to lead this discussion. This story comes from The Chronicle of Higher Education in 2002:
THE PHOTOGRAPHER SAYS it is a simple portrayal of motherhood. But when administrators at DePauw University saw the photo, which depicts a baby’s face between a woman’s breasts, in a brochure for a faculty art show, it was more than they could bear.
Although it was too late to withdraw the brochures, officials at the Methodist college in Indiana are now demanding to see every department’s promotional materials before they are sent to the printer.
The image, “Built to Suck,” appears on posters and brochures advertising a faculty art show that began last month. The exhibition focused on the relationship between the human body and medicine.
Campus officials acknowledge that the photo drew few outside complaints, and say they object only to the brochure designers’ circumvention of institutional approval.
“We’re working hard to change our graphical identity,” says Neal B. Abraham, vice president for academic affairs.
The photographer, Yara Ferreira Cluver, a part-time assistant professor of art, says the image was born of her desire to breast-feed her 2-year-old daughter, who has a medical condition that requires her to be nourished via a tube. Ms. Cluver believes the officials disapproved because of the drops of milk pictured on the breasts. She says the stricter approval process “won’t stifle art” but will stifle “access to the art.”
Mr. Abraham insists that the administration doesn’t intend to stunt creativity and isn’t prudish.
“It’s not about censorship,” he says. “It’s about institutional ownership.”
Here’s a story on an previous iteration of her talk on censorship at the University of Idaho:
Art breaking barriers
Written by T.J. Tranchell -Argonaut
Friday, 10 November 2006
Artists can create controversy. They can intentionally set out to shock people and instigate revolutions. Some artists, like feminist photographer Yara Ferreira Clüver, do not seek to be controversial. Instead, controversy is thrust upon them.Clüver spoke Monday night about her work and the censoring of her art. A sampling of her photography titled “Beyond the Barrier of Skin” was also displayed in the Reflections Gallery.
“These photographs reflect the female experience, and I would like to see these types of images become more common,” Clüver said. “I like the idea of them hanging in a gallery called Reflections in a building called the Commons.”
Bringing Clüver to the University of Idaho was a joint effort between the Women’s Center, the College of Art and Architecture, the Reflections Gallery and the Office of the Provost.
Clüver’s presentation, called “Feminist Art and Censorship,” attracted a diverse crowd of men and women to the Whitewater Room. She spoke of her background and the controversy caused by her piece titled “Built to Suck.”
Born in Brazil, Clüver studied at the Cooper Union School of Art in New York City, originally intending to focus on silk screening. Through interdisciplinary work, she discovered photography. She later earned her M.F.A. in photography from Indiana University, where she now teaches. She also studied with renowned feminist artist Judy Chicago.
It was during the 13-week course with Chicago that Clüver found the courage to tackle subjects she previously only hinted at.
“Judy Chicago pushes you to be direct, honest and open about context,” Clüver said. “My work became more dramatic in its imagery thanks to her.”
It is the lack of perspective and context that caused Clüver to become embroiled in controversy.
Clüver’s piece “Built to Suck,” which she calls “an homage to woman’s ability to give birth,” contains images of lactating breasts and the face of her own infant daughter. She was fascinated with the similarity of the “U” shape of breasts and the face of her child. What was meant to be an emotional work about her and her daughter, who was unable to breastfeed, became much more.
“Built to Suck” appeared on a pamphlet advertising a faculty show at DePauw (Indiana) University, where Clüver taught before returning to Indiana University.
“I saw that and I thought, ‘Oh my God, what have I done? I’ve been a bad girl.’”
She wasn’t the only one. All the pamphlets disappeared and the vice president of the university issued a statement saying that all publications must be approved by his office before being distributed.All this happened before the show even opened.
“It eventually became about faculty governance and went well beyond just me,” Clüver said. “As it pertains to the art, it was taken out of context by the censoring body before they even saw the show.”
Also included in the current exhibit are photographs of her husband and daughter, both of whom spent time in the hospital.
“At first I was documenting the situations and surroundings,” Clüver said. “Later I began interpreting them.”
The images are very graphic, portraying nudes of Clüver’s own body as well as those of her husband and child. It is important to Clüver that such images are in the open.
“Nudity isn’t the problem,” she said. “It is the point of view in viewing the female nude that is the problem. The ability to embrace a broader range of art helps us embrace diversity.”
