Lorraine O'Grady
Encyclopedia
Lorraine O'Grady is an American
conceptual artist, who has worked in the areas of performance art
and photo and video installation. Her work locates universal and timeless values in such topical issues as diaspora, hybridity, and black female subjectivity. It also attempts a shift in art discourse to show how these topics have influenced the history of modernism.
O'Grady studied economics
and literature
at Wellesley College before becoming an artist in 1980. In the 1980s, she created the adopted persona
of 'Mlle Bourgeoise Noire' to invade art openings while wearing a gown made of 180 pairs of white gloves,, beating herself with a white cat-o-nine-tails and shouting out poems that railed against a still-segregated art world
she perceived as not looking beyond a small circle of friends. Beginning in 1991 she added photo installations to her conceptually based work. And in 2007, she made her first video
installation during a residency at Artpace
in San Antonio, Texas.
Her strongly feminist work has been widely exhibited, particularly in New York
and Europe
. O'Grady's early 'Mlle Bourgeoise Noire' performance was given new recognition when it was made an entry-point to the landmark exhibit WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution,, the first mainstream museum show of this groundbreaking art movement
. And recently her practice, seemingly located at and defining the cusp between modernism
and a "not-quite-post-modernist" present, has become the subject of increased interest. It received a two-article cover feature in the May 2009 issue of Artforum Magazine and, in December 2009, was given a one-person exhibit in the U.S.'s most important contemporary art
fair, Art Basel Miami Beach. Subsequently, O'Grady was one of 55 artists selected for inclusion in the 2010 Whitney Biennial
.
O'Grady's late start -- she first exhibited at 45, after successful careers among others as an intelligence analyst, translator, and rock critic -- may have contributed to unusually broad perspective in her work as both an artist and writer. In addition to articles she has written for publications such as Artforum Magazine and Art Lies, her canonical essay, "Olympia's Maid: Reclaiming Black Female Subjectivity," has now been anthologized numerous times, most recently in Amelia Jones
, ed, The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader, 2nd Edition, Routledge
, 2010. O'Grady has been a Senior Fellow of the Vera List Center for Art and Politics, New School University, since 1997.
She lives and works in the Meatpacking District of New York City.
at Max's Upstairs in Manhattan
, July 18, 1973, was rejected at the time by her Village Voice editor, who said "It's too soon for them." The review was first published nearly 40 years later in Max’s Kansas City: Art, Glamour, Rock and Roll, 2010, a photo book with texts by Lou Reed
, Lenny Kaye
, Danny Fields
, Lorraine O’Grady, and Steven Watson.
O'Grady's name is one of those shouted in the hit song "Hot Topic," by electroclash band Le Tigre
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
conceptual artist, who has worked in the areas of performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
and photo and video installation. Her work locates universal and timeless values in such topical issues as diaspora, hybridity, and black female subjectivity. It also attempts a shift in art discourse to show how these topics have influenced the history of modernism.
O'Grady studied economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
at Wellesley College before becoming an artist in 1980. In the 1980s, she created the adopted persona
Persona
A persona, in the word's everyday usage, is a social role or a character played by an actor. The word is derived from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatrical mask. The Latin word probably derived from the Etruscan word "phersu", with the same meaning, and that from the Greek πρόσωπον...
of 'Mlle Bourgeoise Noire' to invade art openings while wearing a gown made of 180 pairs of white gloves,, beating herself with a white cat-o-nine-tails and shouting out poems that railed against a still-segregated art world
Art world
The art world is composed of all the people involved in the production, commission, preservation, promotion, criticism, and sale of art. Howard S. Becker describes it as "the network of people whose cooperative activity, organized via their joint knowledge of conventional means of doing things,...
she perceived as not looking beyond a small circle of friends. Beginning in 1991 she added photo installations to her conceptually based work. And in 2007, she made her first video
Video art
Video art is a type of art which relies on moving pictures and comprises video and/or audio data. . Video art came into existence during the 1960s and 1970s, is still widely practiced and has given rise to the widespread use of video installations...
installation during a residency at Artpace
Artpace
Artpace is a non-profit public charity contemporary art center in San Antonio, Texas founded in 1995 by Linda Pace in a converted car dealership. The center was originally privately funded, but is now publicly funded...
in San Antonio, Texas.
Her strongly feminist work has been widely exhibited, particularly in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. O'Grady's early 'Mlle Bourgeoise Noire' performance was given new recognition when it was made an entry-point to the landmark exhibit WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution,, the first mainstream museum show of this groundbreaking art movement
Feminist art movement
The feminist art movement refers to the efforts and accomplishments of feminists internationally to make art that reflects women's lives and experiences, as well as to change the foundation for the production and reception of contemporary art. It also sought to bring more visibility to women within...
. And recently her practice, seemingly located at and defining the cusp between modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
and a "not-quite-post-modernist" present, has become the subject of increased interest. It received a two-article cover feature in the May 2009 issue of Artforum Magazine and, in December 2009, was given a one-person exhibit in the U.S.'s most important contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
fair, Art Basel Miami Beach. Subsequently, O'Grady was one of 55 artists selected for inclusion in the 2010 Whitney Biennial
Whitney Biennial
The Whitney Biennial is a biennale exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, USA. The event began as an annual exhibition in 1932, the first biennial was in 1973...
.
O'Grady's late start -- she first exhibited at 45, after successful careers among others as an intelligence analyst, translator, and rock critic -- may have contributed to unusually broad perspective in her work as both an artist and writer. In addition to articles she has written for publications such as Artforum Magazine and Art Lies, her canonical essay, "Olympia's Maid: Reclaiming Black Female Subjectivity," has now been anthologized numerous times, most recently in Amelia Jones
Amelia Jones
Amelia Jones is an American art historian, art critic and curator specializing in feminist art, body/performance art, video art and Dadaism. Her written works and approach to modern and contemporary art history are considered revolutionary in that she breaks down commonly assumed opinions and...
, ed, The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader, 2nd Edition, Routledge
Routledge
Routledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
, 2010. O'Grady has been a Senior Fellow of the Vera List Center for Art and Politics, New School University, since 1997.
She lives and works in the Meatpacking District of New York City.
In pop culture
A review by O'Grady of the night Bob Marley and the Wailers opened for Bruce SpringsteenBruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
at Max's Upstairs in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, July 18, 1973, was rejected at the time by her Village Voice editor, who said "It's too soon for them." The review was first published nearly 40 years later in Max’s Kansas City: Art, Glamour, Rock and Roll, 2010, a photo book with texts by Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
, Lenny Kaye
Lenny Kaye
Lenny Kaye is an American guitarist, composer and writer who is best known as a member of the Patti Smith Group.- Early life :...
, Danny Fields
Danny Fields
Danny Fields is an American journalist and author. As a music-industry executive in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, he was one of the most influential figures in the underground and punk rock scenes.- Early life :...
, Lorraine O’Grady, and Steven Watson.
O'Grady's name is one of those shouted in the hit song "Hot Topic," by electroclash band Le Tigre
Le Tigre
Le Tigre is an American electroclash band, formed by Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman in 1998. It also featured Sadie Benning from 1998 until 2001, and JD Samson for the rest of the group's run...
.
External links
- lorraineogrady.com, contains the artist's images, performances and writings, as well as press, bios, and photos
- lorraineogrady2.com, a project website whose first project, the illustrated PDF Work Development, maps the earlier website to show how the work's motifs emerge
- alexandergray.com, website of Alexander Gray Associates, Lorraine O'Grady's Chelsea/New York gallery, contains images and press, plus her updated long-form CV
- PS1 radio interview, Lorraine O'Grady in conversation with Connie Butler, curator of WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution
- Mlle Bourgeoise Noire performance synopsis, with images, at moca.org