Damn fine art by new lesbian artists

by Cherry Smyth

Engaging with a wide range of international artists from Mexico to Ireland, Cherry Smyth traces the increasing visibility and confidence of lesbian artists in mainstream art and draws on extensive research and interviews with many of the artists themselves. The work is not only situated within art historical and feminist traditions, but the author also shows how recent dyke artists have subverted and appropriated those conventions with the grand irony of burgeoning 'dyke camp'. From painting and photography, sculpture and mixed media installations, to cartoons, furniture and silicon, Cherry Smith provides a lively and compelling analysis of a highly diverse selection of work, and places it in a wider cultural, social and political context. She demonstrates the significant impact of new lesbian/dyke art both on our understanding of gender difference and on the role of visual culture in reflecting and affirming who we think we are.