Art Is Reactionary (1987)

Overview

Art Is Reactionary is the 10-minute video recording of a performance by Carolee Schneemann dating from 1987. Carolee Schneemann shares the stage with her ideal double, an African American. On a stage, the two women start their story using the heralding expression of fairy tales: “Once upon a time...” They speak into the same microphone, their voices combine and each becomes the echo of the other. Three people stand downstage, like a Classical chorus. A woman flanked by two men dialogues with the two performers through their voices, but also by an alternating play of the black and white of their clothes and skin. Slides relating to sexuality, close ups of sexual organs, are projected on stage. Schneemann and her double move within the field of projection of the images while reciting a text dealing with the role of women in society and the question of feminism in artistic practice.