Wokeness and Art Galleries

[WifeOfMacbeth]

This piece takes a swipe at gender identity ideology and how it is promoted - along with other forms of activism - in the art world. https://thecritic.co.uk/total-eclipse-of-the-art/

I don't like the idea of someone telling me what to think about art.

Well, as an artist I can say that you have these choices.
You’re either a believer in this ideology, and have access to funding pots, low cost artist spaces and exhibiting opportunities. Or you’re a stealth non believer , you want to access the same things but know that outing yourself will limit your access to these, so are forced into exhibiting with men in women’s art shows to have your work seen and make a living…and hope no one asks anything of you that requires you to speak out promoting this ideology. (To my mind, exhibiting in group shows to this end feels hypocritical anyway, I’m tired of it)
Or you out yourself as gender critical and are resigned to probably managing to make and sell in a commercial way, but being largely ousted from any in roads into the contemporary art world real.

@Bogdwellingwellywearer
That is so depressing and - unfortunately - completely believable

I have been to at least one exhibition where they talked about how someone must have been trans, living as a man. It's possible she felt that way. But much more likely that it was the only way she could follow a career expressly forbidden to her as a woman, and ignoring all those barriers seemed disingenuous.

I'm more than happy for interpretations of art to be reviewed and reconsidered. But it cannot be done without question, nor with ignoring the mores of the time of the work's creation.

It's the idea you can't question anything, nor say anything that doesn't follow the acceptedline that is so depressing. What happened to critical thinking and disagreement? I might well be wrong about some of the things I think, especially those I know little about - but I should be able to express and debate thst, and acknowledge there might be other valid points of view.

Curations that don't acknowledge there's more than one way of lookat something are failing us.