Gee Vaucher
Encyclopedia
Gee Vaucher is a visual artist who was born in 1945 in Dagenham
, East London
.
Her work with Anarcho-punk
band Crass
was seminal to the 'protest art
' of the 1980s. Vaucher has always seen her work as a tool for social change. In her collection of early works (1960-1997) Crass Art and Other Pre Post-Modernist Monsters, Dagenham
, East London
. Vaucher can be seen to have expressed her strong anarcho-pacifist and feminist views in her paintings and collage
. Vaucher also uses surrealist styles and methods.
In Vaucher's second book, Animal Rites, she gives a commentary on the relationship between animals and humans, centered on the quote " All humans are animal, but some animals are more human than others
."
In the foreword to her 1999 retrospective collection Crass Art and Other Pre Post-Modernist Monsters, Ian Dury
writes;
She continues to design sleeves for Babel Label
and has exhibited at the 96 Gillespie gallery in London. In 2007 and 2008 the Jack Hanley Gallery in San Francisco and Track 16 in Santa Monica
ran exhibitions entitled "Gee Vaucher: Introspective", showing a wide selection of Vaucher's work.
Vaucher's film Gower Boy, made in collaboration with pianist Huw Warren
, debuted at the 14th Raindance Film Festival
in London in October 2006.
Gee Vaucher is not her real name according to the Story of Crass.
Dagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
, East London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Her work with Anarcho-punk
Anarcho-punk
Anarcho-punk is punk rock that promotes anarchism. The term anarcho-punk is sometimes applied exclusively to bands that were part of the original anarcho-punk movement in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
band Crass
Crass
Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
was seminal to the 'protest art
Protest art
Protest art is a broad term that refers to creative works that concern or are produced by activists and social movements. There are also contemporary and historical works and currents of thought that can be characterized in this way....
' of the 1980s. Vaucher has always seen her work as a tool for social change. In her collection of early works (1960-1997) Crass Art and Other Pre Post-Modernist Monsters, Dagenham
Dagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
, East London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Vaucher can be seen to have expressed her strong anarcho-pacifist and feminist views in her paintings and collage
Collage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
. Vaucher also uses surrealist styles and methods.
In Vaucher's second book, Animal Rites, she gives a commentary on the relationship between animals and humans, centered on the quote " All humans are animal, but some animals are more human than others
Animal Farm
Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II...
."
In the foreword to her 1999 retrospective collection Crass Art and Other Pre Post-Modernist Monsters, Ian Dury
Ian Dury
Ian Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...
writes;
- "In its original form, Gee's work is intricate and tactile, and while the imagery is sometimes almost overwhelming, the primary concerns are those of a painter; dealing with form and space. Mere newsprint would hardly do justice to its subtle tones. When the work is printed, the space becomes more simple and the graphic images take on a different life. The concerns are those of delivery, and the message is clear."
She continues to design sleeves for Babel Label
Babel Label
The Babel Label is a record label was founded in 1994 by Oliver Weindling. It primarily records and releases jazz albums from UK artists. Ongoing relationships include artists such as Billy Jenkins, Christine Tobin and Huw Warren. A close relationship has been forged with a number of musicians from...
and has exhibited at the 96 Gillespie gallery in London. In 2007 and 2008 the Jack Hanley Gallery in San Francisco and Track 16 in Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
ran exhibitions entitled "Gee Vaucher: Introspective", showing a wide selection of Vaucher's work.
Vaucher's film Gower Boy, made in collaboration with pianist Huw Warren
Huw Warren
Huw Warren is a jazz pianist and composer. A graduate of Goldsmiths College and Guildhall School of Music, he is known for his work with June Tabor, Perfect Houseplants, and various groups. Warren has recorded several albums under his own name on Babel Label, including projects with violinist Mark...
, debuted at the 14th Raindance Film Festival
Raindance Film Festival
Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates from various cities including: London, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin and Brussels...
in London in October 2006.
Gee Vaucher is not her real name according to the Story of Crass.
Further reading
- Crass Art and Other Pre Post-Modernist Monsters - A collection of work by Gee Vaucher (AK Press 1999)
- Animal Rites (Exitstencil BooksCrass RecordsCrass Records is an independent record label which was set up by the anarchist punk band Crass.-Overview and history:Prior to the formation of Crass, Penny Rimbaud and Gee Vaucher had published their creative works via their own Dial House based Exitstencil Press...
, 2004)