The Barbican Gallery in London is about to open the first major survey of Carolee Schneemann’s work in the UK.  Schneemann was an American visual experimental artist, known for her multi-media works on the body, narrative, sexuality, and gender.  Originally a painter in the Abstract Expressionist tradition, Schneeman was uninterested in the masculine heroism of New York painters of the time and turned to performance-based work, primarily characterized by research into visual traditions, taboos, and the body of the individual in relation to social bodies.[5] Although renowned for her work in performance and other media, Schneemann began her career as a painter, stating, “I’m a painter. I’m still a painter and I will die a painter. Everything that I have developed has to do with extending visual principles off the canvas.”

Schneemann who died in 2019, acknowledged that she was often labeled as a feminist icon and that she is an influential figure to female artists, but she also noted that she reached out to male artists as well. Though she was noted for being a feminist figure, her works explore issues in art and rely heavily on her broad knowledge of art history

This new exhibition covers her multifaceted practice across six decades from her early paintings to later immersive multi-media installations, and much more in between.

Carolee Schneemann
Body Politics
Thu 8 Sep 2022—Sun 8 Jan 2023,
Barbican Art Gallery, London