Livets strek: Selvfremstilling, aktivisme og feminisme i Vanessa Bairds kunst

Abstract

This thesis delves into the oeuvre of Vanessa Baird (b. 1963), a highly regarded contemporary artist in Norway, whose intricate, grotesque, confessional, and humorous works in pastel and aquarelle have garnered considerable acclaim for their deeply personal and political themes. In late 2020 Baird published There's no place like home, an artist's book that blends autobiography and fantasy, depicting scenes from her everyday life caring for her elderly mother and teenage children during the Norwegian covid-lockdown. Although Baird's work has received extensive attention in the media, it has received limited scholarly attention within the art historical discourse. This thesis aims to contribute to the discourse on the art of Vanessa Baird, by exploring her oeuvre and situating her work within the context of Norwegian contemporary art, particularly within the feminist tradition. Drawing on existing narratives about Baird's oeuvre, this analysis focuses on motifs from There's no place like home, exploring how Baird sheds light on a range of themes, from the everyday struggles of modern motherhood to rarely explored themes such as caring for elderly parents and being a middle-aged mom. Through the lens of theories on the performative, the maternal, and the abject, the thesis investigates the extent to which Baird's personal artworks can be understood to work within a neo-feminist tradition and be seen as part of an activist tradition. By examining Baird's staging of seemingly autobiographical narratives, sometimes referred to as autofictional tendencies, the thesis situates her work in line with issues in feminist art that emerged in the 1970s and beyond. Focusing on and problematizing women’s personal and lived experience, feminists reclaimed feminine subjectivity and established new truths about art, history, and contemporary society. By challenging traditional notions of gender, identity, and motherhood, Baird's oeuvre contributes to the ongoing discourse surrounding feminist art in Norway and beyond.