Interview with Mirjam Westen, curator of REBELLE: Kunst & Feminisme, 1969-2009

In interview, Mirjam Westen, curator of the exhibition 'REBELLE: Art and Feminism, 1969-2000' at the Museum voor Moderne Kunst Arnhem (30 May- 23 Aug. 2009) discusses the idea for the exhibition, the questions around the nature of feminism that the exhibition examines, its relationship with the 1979 'Feministische Kunst International' exhibition and the resulting debate around gender and art in the Netherlands, the juxtaposition of work by women artists from different generations in the show, and the choice of work by major artists represented, the feminist curatorial agenda and role models for the exhibition, Westen commenting on her focus as curator on women artists' work in the permanent collection at the Museum. Deepwell discusses with Westen the distinction between a feminine and feminist aesthetic and social realism in women's art practice, the significance of the essentialism debate among feminists at the time of the 1979 show, and the moment when internationalism and racial diversity became issues for this context. Discusses Rebelle in the context of other exhibitions and archival research, and concludes by discussing the exhibition in the context of repositioning work by Dutch women artists in relation to international exhibitions such as 'WACK! or 'Global Feminisms' in the United States, in which they had been marginalised.