Ringelberg publishes essay on neoliberal feminism in contemporary art

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A new essay by Kirstin Ringelberg, professor of art history, is included in the most recent volume of the n.paradoxa: international feminist art journal.

In “Having It Both Ways: Neoliberal Feminism in the Contemporary Art World”, Ringelberg questions the ease with which contemporary arts institutions and scholars stake a claim for their support of feminist goals while simultaneously advancing neoliberal goals that preclude equity along gender lines. Using the multi-media artist Tabaimo as a case study, Ringelberg shows how the discourse around contemporary art and artists emphasizes individual interpretations and identifications of feminism to such an extent that any real progress on feminist lines is rendered impossible.

While we might be tempted to put the blame on artists who allow their evidently feminist work to be presented as not necessarily feminist, Ringelberg argues that we must instead interrogate our shared acceptance of the individualized nature of neoliberal feminism in the contemporary art world more broadly.