“Women, Art, and Technology in Brazil” presented by Osthoff
Symposium:
Session Title:
- Latin American Forum III: Recent Histories of Electronic Culture in Latin America
Presentation Title:
- Women, Art, and Technology in Brazil
Presenter(s):
Venue(s):
Abstract:
This paper surveys both pioneer accomplishments and contemporary works by Brazilian women media artists since the early 1960s. Their works range from electro-acoustic music to neon light, holography, cinema, experimental film, video, photography, kinetic and multimedia performances and installations, virtual worlds, and Web-based cultural activism. Beginning with a discussion of the controversial issue of gender in Brazil, the essay weaves social, aesthetic, and epistemological concerns. As a general rule, these artists did not explore women’s issues as a project nor were they interested in feminist questions per se. Nevertheless, women artists contributed to the advancement of media arts with both personal and critical perspectives. This overview, despite the inclusion of a large number of artists (more than forty), is by no means a complete survey, but rather an early assessment, which will hopefully instigate new research.
