Men for many purposes
Lately, men’s rights activists have paid attention to problematic issues experienced by males: social exclusion, compulsory military service, strict dress codes, and the lack of (heterosexual) sex. Men have learned to complain. And they often have good reason to. The problem is, however, that the blame for any problems is too often laid on women and the demand for equal rights. The 21st century Finnish discussion between the genders is not a source of joy for anyone. Blaming each other is not the path to cooperation and successful problem solving.
All the prerequisites for a very different discourse exist. Greater freedom has been achieved for both men and women in the areas of gender and sexuality when compared to the situation of, let’s say, 50 years ago. Legislation and everyday attitudes have undergone a pivotal change particularly in sexual equality. But even in the third millennium, the genders are continuously pitted against each other. This must be a sign of something. Boys are ever more eagerly dressed in dark blue and girls in pink right from the start, and toys are divided into strict categories. For adults, the labour market still holds on to old gender segretation, and the uncompromising differences between the sexes are explained as natural based on evolution, the genes or other such arguments.
The exhibition (Un)naturally takes a stand in the current gender equality discourse. Together with Marja-Terttu Kivirinta, we have selected nine male artists who together express the idea that men may be equal, but they are certainly not all the same. There are men who do not flinch from ornamentation or home decoration any more than from the depiction of a hairy back as a beautiful thing. One artist comments on violence in a peaceful manner, another gently examines the concept of strangeness. For some, homosexuality or queerness is an interesting theme; others explore the construction of heterosexuality. Not all artists seem to discuss gender or sexuality in their work displayed in the current exhibition, but have done so at some point of their careers.
We believe that the differences and variety that exist between and among men are a viable cause for building an exhibition with all-male artists. Emphasis on a single male viewpoint would be the last straw to break the back of art history, already built on a male canon. We hope that the exhibition will awaken serious doubts about the existence of one common male viewpoint, and remind us that all men are certainly not the same. We even claim that there is no sense in making statements about “the man” in singular.
The name of the exhibition, (Un)naturally, is meant to be provocative and ambiguous. In this connection, being unnatural is not automatically a bad thing. And in no sense is it an accusation. The word is used to remind us that human culture is made by people and mostly artificial – but that it still may have connections to nature. In some interpretations, nature may even refer to human nature, not only to nature as the opposite of human pursuits, also known as culture. Some works may also show a certain longing to return to nature, while others have no trace of this.
(Un)naturally was first created a couple of years ago as a joint project of two authors, critics and researchers looking at art from two different feminist viewpoints. We wanted to compile a book, but found that an exhibition was in the making as well. The exhibition is an essential part of our stance. If any removal of confrontational lines occurs, in the best tradition of the feminist movement’s objectives, it will be achieved and made real through the work of the artists.
Leena-Maija Rossi
The writer is a co-curator of the exhibition (Un)naturally.
