In the spring of 1985, the Museum of Modern Art held an exhibition called “An International Survey of Recent Painting and Sculpture”. The exhibition was a huge collection of artwork from around the world with the roster of 165 artists globally. However, there were only 13 women out of 165 artists. In response to this absurd gender ratio, seven women launched the Guerrilla Girls.
The Guerrilla Girls wore a Gorilla mask to hide their identity since anonymous free speech is protected by the Constitution. The protests and feminist movement led by this group of women resulted in tangible changes including increased awareness of sexism, and bringing national and international attention to the issues of sexism and racism within the art world.
However, the Guerrilla Girls also face some controversies, one of which is the issue of diversity. While the Guerrilla Girls sought to create more space for women artists and empower them in the world of art, their focus was limited to ‘white’ women artists. In the process of breaking down barriers for marginalized people, which were women back then, they unintentionally created another barrier for women artists of color.
I think the Guerrilla Girls controversy is a good example to think about subverting power dynamic. When subverting a power dynamic in order to restore justice or equality, the group of people who shifted the power dynamic should assess the newly established power structure and check if they have become the same thing that they worked so hard to break down.