论坛现场|女性艺术家、策展人、行动主义者——可见与不可见Women Artists, Curators, Activists: A Conversation
2026年5月21日，由纽约巴鲁克学院米什金画廊（Mishkin Gallery at Baruch College）举办的公共论坛“女性艺术家、策展人、活动家：关于艺术、女性主义与文化抵抗”于纽约举行。活动由纽约巴鲁克学院艺术史教授兼策展人Gail Levin发起，并担任主持人。
On May 21, 2026, the public forum “Women Artists, Curators, and Activists: A Conversation on Art, History, and Feminism,” organized by the Mishkin Gallery at Baruch College in New York, took place in New York City. The event was initiated and moderated by Gail Levin, a professor of art history and curator at Baruch College.
活动概览|Event Overview
论坛活动作为展览《文化变迁——郭桢回顾展》（展期持续至2026年6月12日）的重要公共项目，汇聚了Susan Bee、Susan Grabel、郭桢（Zhen Guo）、Lori Horowitz、Christina Schlesinger，Gail Levin等来自不同文化背景的艺术家、策展人与女性主义实践者，共同讨论了女性艺术家的历史处境、艺术行动主义与文化记忆建构等议题。
As a key public program accompanying the exhibition Cultural Change: Zhen Guo, A Retrospective (on view through June 12, 2026), the event brought together artists, curators, and feminist practitioners from diverse cultural backgrounds—including Susan Bee, Susan Grabel, Zhen Guo, Lori Horowitz, Christina Schlesinger, and Gail Levin—artists, curators, and feminist practitioners from diverse cultural backgrounds—to discuss topics such as the historical circumstances of women artists, art activism, and the construction of cultural memory.
活动回应了一个始终存在却难以真正解决的问题：为什么许多女性艺术家往往需要在被忽视数十年后，才逐渐被重新发现与认可？
The event addressed a persistent yet intractable question: why are so many women artists recognized only after decades of being overlooked?
直击现场|Discussion
嘉宾们从自身的艺术经验与策展实践出发，讨论了女性艺术家如何在个人表达与政治立场之间寻找平衡，艺术机构如何塑造历史叙事，以及“可见性”背后的结构性问题。
Drawing on their own artistic experiences and curatorial practices, the panelists discussed how female artists navigate the balance between personal expression and political stance, how art institutions shape historical narratives, and the structural issues underlying “visibility.”
Gail Levin在活动开场中回顾了自己在1991年策划的展览《文化变迁》，以及数十年来持续推动女性艺术史研究的工作。她提到，女性艺术家长期被排除在主流艺术史之外，许多重要艺术家的创作与经历，往往需要后来的研究者重新整理、拼凑与书写，才能重新进入公众视野。她特别提到女性艺术家 Alice Baber 的案例，指出女性艺术史经常是一种“迟到的历史”——当艺术家真正被研究与展出时，往往已经过去了几十年。
In her opening remarks, Gail Levin reflected on the 1991 exhibition Changing Cultures, which she curated, as well as her decades-long work advancing the study of women’s art history. She noted that female artists have long been excluded from mainstream art history, and that the work and experiences of many significant artists often require later researchers to reorganize, piece together, and rewrite them before they can re-enter the public eye. She specifically cited the case of artist Alice Baber, pointing out that the history of women in art is often a “belated history”—by the time an artist is truly studied and exhibited, decades have often already passed.
在关于“艺术家与行动主义者”的关系讨论中，多位嘉宾强调，女性艺术与政治很难做到真正分离。对于许多女性艺术家而言，性别经验与社会身份所造成的印记无法被真正从创作中剥离。
In the discussion on the relationship between “artists and activists,” several speakers emphasized that it is difficult to truly separate women’s art from politics. For many female artists, the imprints left by gendered experiences and social identities cannot be truly detached from their creative work.
Christina Schlesinger 提到游击队女孩（Guerrilla Girls）的发展与努力；Susan Grabel 与 Lori Horowitz 则谈到，尽管女性艺术家在今天比20世纪80年代拥有更高的可见度，但艺术机构与市场中的结构性不平等依然存在，仍需要通过行动主义为女性艺术家争取更多的生存空间。
Christina Schlesinger referenced the development and efforts of the Guerrilla Girls; Susan Grabel and Lori Horowitz noted that while female artists enjoy greater visibility today than in the 1980s, structural inequalities within art institutions and the market persist, and activism remains necessary to secure more space for female artists.
艺术家们还提到，艺术并不一定直接改变现实，但它能够改变观看方式，重新打开公共讨论的空间，使那些长期被忽略的问题重新获得可见性。尤其在当下女性权益再次面临挑战的背景下，女性主义艺术也重新获得了新的现实意义。
The artists noted that art does not necessarily change reality directly, but it can alter ways of seeing, reopen spaces for public discourse, and restore visibility to issues that have long been overlooked. Especially against the backdrop of women’s rights once again facing challenges, feminist art has regained new relevance.
Susan Bee作为女性主义艺术刊物《女性艺术家新闻》的编辑之一，她长期关注女性艺术家在艺术史中的边缘化问题，并围绕种族主义与母职等议题展开持续研究与讨论。她参与出版了许多重要的女性主义艺术出版物，希望通过写作、出版与公共讨论，为女性艺术家建立更完整的历史记录与知识网络。
As one of the editors of the Women Artists News, Susan Bee has long focused on the marginalization of women artists in art history and has engaged in ongoing research and discussion on issues such as racism and motherhood. She has contributed to the publication of many significant feminist art publications, hoping to establish a more comprehensive historical record and knowledge network for women artists through writing, publishing, and public discourse.
郭桢（Guo Zhen）作为本次展览的核心艺术家，则从自身创作经验出发，分享了自己关于艺术、文化身份与女性经验的理解。她认为，此次回顾展不仅是对其创作历程的梳理，更像是个人生命经验的整体呈现。“这个展览可以看到我艺术发展的全过程，我的艺术作品与生活都融入了这个空间。”她表示，自己从不会刻意选择某种“应该表达”的内容，而是让作品自然地从内心中生长出来。
As the central artist of this exhibition, Guo Zhen drew on her own creative experience to share her perspectives on art, cultural identity, and the female experience. She believes that this retrospective is not merely a chronological overview of her artistic journey, but rather a holistic presentation of her personal life experiences. “This exhibition offers a view of my entire artistic development, both my artworks and my life are integrated into this space.” She noted that she never deliberately chooses specific content that “should be expressed,” but rather allows her work to grow naturally from her inner experiences.
郭桢特别强调，自己始终不把艺术视为一种旁观性的存在。“我认为我不是这个世界的旁观者，我是这个世界的参与者。”在她看来，艺术不仅是表达，更是一种教育、沟通与行动的方式。她希望通过艺术传递自己的思想与方法，并通过作品创造不同的可能性。
She particularly emphasized that she has never viewed art as something to be merely observed from the sidelines. “I do not see myself as a bystander of this world; I am a participant in it.” In her view, art is not merely a form of expression, but also a means of education, communication, and action. She hopes to convey her ideas and methods through art and to create new possibilities through her work.
论坛中关于“Kali（凯莉）”形象的讨论也成为当晚极具象征性的部分。Susan Bee提到，Kali作为印度教中重要的女性神祇，既神圣又愤怒，既强大又令人不安，其复杂性深深吸引着她。
The discussion about the figure of “Kali” during the forum also became a highly symbolic part of the evening. Susan Bee mentioned that Kali, as an important female deity in Hinduism—both sacred and wrathful, powerful and unsettling—deeply captivates her with her complexity.
郭桢则谈到，自己曾在朱迪芝加哥(Judy Chicago)的晚宴(Dinner Party)作品中，只找到一个亚洲女性形象——“Kali”，由此开始重新思考女性力量与文化身份的问题。在她看来，Kali不仅拥有消灭恶魔的力量，同时也给予众生爱，因此她将Kali视作女性主义画像，并希望通过艺术延续这种女性精神与文化力量。
Guo Zhen, meanwhile, spoke of how she once found only a single image of an Asian woman——“Kali”, in Dinner Party (by Judy Chicago), an experience that led her to rethink issues of female power and cultural identity. In her view, Kali not only possesses the power to vanquish demons but also bestows love upon all beings; thus, she regards Kali as feminism and a icon. She hopes to perpetuate this feminine spirit and cultural power through art.
现场提问|Q&A
在观众提问环节中，关于年轻一代艺术家的讨论引发了广泛共鸣。嘉宾们普遍认为，当代年轻艺术家拥有更开放的信息环境与更多表达自由，但同时也更容易受到市场与流量逻辑的影响。同时，“女性”的定义是随着时间的推移而改变的，这也潜移默化影响着年轻艺术家的创作。
During the Q&A session, the discussion on the younger generation of artists resonated widely with the audience. The panelists generally agreed that while contemporary young artists enjoy a more open information environment and greater freedom of expression, they are also more susceptible to the influence of market forces. At the same time, the definition of “woman” evolves over time, subtly shaping the creative practices of young artists.
郭桢特别谈到中国当代年轻艺术家的处境。她认为，随着经济发展，中国出现了越来越多优秀的女性艺术家，但许多人也越来越容易将市场与销售作为创作目标，而忽视长期的艺术探索与思想建设。她表示，自己更希望年轻艺术家能够拥有更加开放的思想与更长远的视野，“更多关注自身，而不仅仅是市场。”
Guo Zhen specifically addressed the situation of young contemporary artists in China. She noted that, with economic development, an increasing number of outstanding female artists have emerged in China; however, many are increasingly prone to prioritizing market success and sales as their creative goals, while neglecting long-term artistic exploration and intellectual development. She expressed her hope that young artists would cultivate more open minds and a longer-term perspective, “focusing more on themselves, rather than just the market.”
当提及艺术与科技时，她说道：“人类文明的未来不指向技术的发展，而是人与人之间关于人性的对谈。”
When discussing art and technology, she remarked, “The future of human civilization does not lie in technological development, but in the dialogue between people regarding humanity.”
这场持续近两小时的对谈，不仅是一场关于女性主义艺术的讨论，也是一场关于历史、制度、文化记忆与未来可能性的公共交流。在来自不同背景的嘉宾们的经验交汇中，希望能让公众进一步认识到：女性主义艺术并不仅仅关乎“女性身份”本身，而是涉及社会结构、文化权力与身份经验如何塑造个体的问题。
This nearly two-hour conversation was not only a discussion on feminist art but also a public exchange on history, institutions, cultural memory, and future possibilities. Through the convergence of experiences shared by guests from diverse backgrounds, the event aimed to help the public better understand that feminist art is not merely about “female identity” itself, but rather addresses how social structures, cultural power, and identity experiences shape the individual.
关于女性艺术家的历史书写、文化可见性与社会性别结构的讨论，至今仍在继续。
Discussions regarding the historical representation of women artists, their cultural visibility, and gender structures continue to this day.
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