Dear Ladies, Thank You

Dear Ladies, Thank You is an evolving
performance that has been presented in
several variations. The common thread that
connects all versions is the discourse of
the underrepresentation of women in art
history, art theory, art institutions, and in the
broader collective memory. The content and
the visual aspect of the performance vary
according to the context within which it is
presented, and according to the gathered
findings of previous performances. One of
the issues that have become apparent in
the previous performances is the need of a
permanent monument. Consequently, the
central aim of the new performance will be
to produce a permanent mark during the
performance.

In the performance, Čigon will pronounce
the names of women artists that she has
previously learned by heart. At the same
time, she will write them down on the floor
of Metelkova with a permanent paint. The
majority of these names will be of artists
who have presented their work at one of the
Red Dawns festivals. With this action, Čigon
wants to permanently mark this area, and
create a monument both for the Red Dawns,
in specific, and for feminist and queer art
in general. Metelkova is also characterized
by other spaces and organizations that deal
with similar topics. This is why Čigon will
attempt to symbolically link them all with
the line of names of the women artists in question. On one hand, the line will mark Metelkova space as one of those places
that carry a rich history of organizations, groups, and festivals, and which have
been, and still are, dealing with the social status of women and other invisible
groups, LGBTIQ in particular. On the other hand, the line of the names will also
be an attempt to symbolically connect this area with the nearby institutions,
which can be seen as the ones that care for, and preserve, the history of art
and of contemporary artistic canon. The performance will begin at the Trg brez
zgodovinskega spomina (Square with No Historical Memory) in front of Menza
pri koritu.

The performance
is a part of Urban Art Projects, which are produced by KUD Mreža.
Organisation:
Red Dawns
Supported by:
Ministry of Culture of the Republic
of Slovenia,
City Municipality of Ljubljana