Staging feminist protests at art galleries via a tiny doll
Frankenstein movies and, in the film, develops a delicate bond with his gardener (played by Brendan Fraser) in later years.
More recent examples of Colichman productions include the 2008 Japanese film Departures, about a young man who finds his true calling as a mortician, after a failed but impassioned career as a cellist. And the 2007 sleeper hit Shelter, about a conflicted young surfer in California who is falling in love with his best friend’s brother.
As a gay man, Colichman says Gods and Monsters opened his eyes to the commercial and artistic possibilities of LGBTQ cinema. “We thought, wow, this market must be really underserved. We realised we can get top-drawer people to work for us and that people want to be a part of this movement. For example, we got Brendan Fraser for a much lower price than he commanded at the time. It was pocket change for him but he still did it,” he says.
In the US, Here Media now spans print, TV, movies and digital media, all aimed at the LGBTQ community, and it’s been particularly successful in attracting advertising from luxury products and companies. “If you can unite business interest with cultural interest, it can really move things in a positive direction,” Colichman says.
In India, Planetout hopes to fan out into social media and dub content in local languages. “We want to be on as many platforms as possible,” says Maity.
Colichman has grander plans, of 30 million unique users by the end of the first year. “India is the best place (for such a platform) in the developing world because of a huge English-speaking population, cosmopolitanism, and excellent filmmaking skills,” he says.
Eventually, he hopes to be working with local stars on local plots set in cities and rural areas. “We have thousands of hours of content. We are going to discover what works in India. We are on a listening tour too, and the LGBTQ people of India will tell us what they want,” he says. more spot reports by Art Activist Barbie
Sarah Williamson, a senior lecturer at the School of Education and Professional Development, University of Huddersfield, UK, has been protesting against patriarchy quietly and uniquely since November 2018.
She takes a Barbie doll to museums and art galleries, props her up in front of exhibits, and puts in her hands a little placard registering protest — primarily at the objectification of women (why are so many in the classical paintings nude, while reading, brushing their hair, heading down the street) and the lack of women artists in permanent collections (London’s National Gallery has 2,300 works by men; 21 by women).
Williamson calls her doll Art Activist Barbie (AAB) and posts @Barbiereports on Twitter, an account with nearly 16,000 followers. She sees the arts as a means to challenge, educate and promote change, she says. Excerpts from an interview:
She is instantly recognised. And she is also problematic, with her White Western beauty and impossible figure. I thought I could harness that and use her to make “good trouble” in galleries and museums.
At first I only had a few White Barbies but I quickly realised I needed Barbies of colour too. It is protest against the fact that art galleries can be very White too. They also draw attention to problematic portrayals of nonwhite women, for example when they are seen as “exotic other” for the male gaze.
I am trying to reach people who do not usually engage with gender issues and the politics of gender, people who simply don’t realise the gender imbalance of society. Without us realising it, art museums and galleries shape our perceptions and identity. They are trusted institutions and I hope to help people realise the gender injustice contained within them.
Your Barbie is so well-dressed. How do you decide what to put on her?
I find it amusing to think of what AAB will wear, whether it is a fabulous ball gown, an apron or a dressing gown and slippers, if it’s late and near her bedtime. After I started the AAB campaign I remembered my own childhood wardrobe of Barbie clothes, made by my mother. It was treasured and carefully packed away, and when I got it out again, I realised I had the most fabulous vintage wardrobe made from Barbie patterns of the 1960s and ’70s.
My mother, who died recently at the age of 93, was a feminist and a great supporter of my AAB project and she was delighted. She used to accompany AAB to galleries from time to time, and she would say things to me such as, “Put Barbie’s glasses on because this is serious work”. My sister (a professor) has now taken on the mantle.
Some institutions have embraced the work and actively encourage it, but others don’t. Sometimes security is called. It takes courage to be an activist in those spaces and I have to hold my nerve.
What has the response been like?
I’ve had the most amazing response to the Twitter account! AAB’S followers are an eclectic group across all ages and her fan base is international. When I am out and about with AAB, the response from the public is overwhelmingly positive. There are only two occasions when a person (OK yes, a man) complained. For example a man at the Tate Britain last year spluttered in outrage that he thought I was “very misguided”.
People always stop to see what it’s all about. AAB sparks discussion.