Viscerālais feminisms kā mākslas interpretācijas metode

The article introduces the notion of visceral feminism and advances its usage as a methodological framework for art interpretation capable of addressing urgent political and artistic challenges, as well as histories of traumatic legacies and imperial powers (among them, the peculiarity of the post-Soviet condition). Drawing encouragement from feminist political theory, carnal aesthetics and new materialism, visceral feminism enhances corporeality in order to address the visceral dimension of the body and the capacity for a liveable life. Due to the multitude of theoretical references, the first part of the article is devoted to providing an insight into the continuity of visceral feminism and the leading traditions of feminist philosophy, especially of feminist aesthetics and theories of the body. It should be noted that in the academic debates of the last decade, the term ‘visceral’ has already obtained some theoretical coverage. However, its potential for grounding a methodological approach for a profoundly feminist art interpretation, especially within the political framework of the Eastern Europe, has not yet been elaborated. After providing a brief summary on the theoretical context of visceral feminism, the term is defined and examined in detail by incorporating theoretical insights of both post-structural theory (notably, Judith Butler) and the new materialism (Barbara Bolt, Jane Bennett etc.). For the purpose of visceral scrutiny, two artworks have been selected – the painting “Susanna and the Elders” by Artemisia Gentileschi (1610) and a work by Latvian artist Rasa Jansone, “Self-Portrait. Exercise Machine I” (2017). Both are examined from the perspective of visceral feminism. This enables us to account for a variety of issues of the marginalization and oppression of women embedded both in the gendered art history and today’s culture, as especially manifest in the patterns of passive victimhood and sexual objectification. While the juxtaposition of the iconic work of feminist art scholarship from the Baroque era (Gentileschi) and a contemporary painting which draws on post-Soviet legacies and the neo-liberal cult of a superwoman (Jansone) may seem daring, the encounter of the two artworks succeeds in encouraging a transgenerational and transnational feminist genealogy in arts, based on the visceral experiences of bodies, their capacity to act and to strive for a liveable life.