Papers by Guadalupe Morales Gómez
Mithila art – sometimes referred to as Madhubani art – is a folk-art originating from the cultura... more Mithila art – sometimes referred to as Madhubani art – is a folk-art originating from the cultural region known as Mithila whose civilisation dates to the late Vedic period; in the present-day, this region encompasses mostly northern Bihar in north-eastern India, as well as some districts in eastern Terai, Nepal. The art has been practiced by Maithil women for at least seven hundred years; traditionally Mithila art took place in the form of murals and floor paintings, but since the mid twentieth century it has transitioned to paper, fabric, and canvas ... [Whilst] Mithila art originally focused on nature, Hindu deities and scenes from ancient epics, Mithila artists are now utilising this tradition to produce artworks that reflect contemporary issues. One such artist repurposing this ancient tradition for a modern purpose is Rani Jha, a native Maithil, who engages with women’s issues in India through her artwork. In this essay I will be focusing on one of Jha’s pieces, ‘Together Tearing the Veil’. I will argue that Jha’s artwork exemplifies how the combining of Mithila art with the discussion of contemporary issues can be used to amplify women’s voices. Jha utilises the tradition of Mithila to challenge the discrimination and abuse that both she and many other women face with India due to their gender. My analysis of Jha’s engagement with the issue of women’s rights is inspired by Partha Chatterjee’s theory on women’s rights development within India as a result of nationalism, as expressed in “The Nationalist Resolution of the Women’s Question”. Hence, the significance of this art, as well as the centrality of the women who create this art and their viewpoints, has not always been central to the historiography of Mithila art. However, ‘Together Tearing the Veil’ demonstrates how Jha is utilising a traditional women’s art to address contemporary women’s issues.
In February 2021, during LGBTIQA+ History Month, the Tate organised an online event festival titl... more In February 2021, during LGBTIQA+ History Month, the Tate organised an online event festival titled ‘Queer and Now 2021’. As part of the event – which aimed to “cross digital borders” and strengthen community bonds – queer collectives from around the world were invited to select artworks from the Tate’s collection that spoke to local experiences and rewrite traditional interpretations through their collective’s “queer lens”, which could form part of an online exhibition titled ‘Queerate Tate’. The final selection included twenty works, one of which came from the Argentine collective, Archivo de la Memoria Trans. The work was one of nine created by the collective for the online exhibition; all nine submissions presented artworks from the Tate’s collection, side-by-side with photographs from the archive’s own photographs.
In this essay, I will argue that Archivo de la Memoria Trans’s submissions facilitate discussions between international queer communities, which centre and explore local narratives on a global scale. To fully explicate my argument, I shall firstly discuss the importance of queer archives and the creation of the Archivo de la Memoria Trans – henceforth referred to as the archive. I will then analyse the nine works submitted to ‘Queerate Tate’ by the archive; looking at the parallels presented between Tate’s collection and their own photographs, and what they tell us about trans lives within Argentina. Lastly, I will discuss how these works address socio-political issues within Argentina and helps us to remember, but also reimagine, a queer past. As well as, how they create the possibility for transnational dialogues to occur which encompass and centre understandings of trans identities beyond the global North.
The Futurist movement presents a perfect example of the way politics come into play in a work of ... more The Futurist movement presents a perfect example of the way politics come into play in a work of art and how those ideas can influence the style and content. In the present day Futurism is unequivocally associated with Benito Mussolini’s fascist rule due to the marrying of Marinetti’s ambition to spread his views with Mussolini’s recognition of the Futurists as allies and their ability to produce propaganda in his favour. However, Futurism is not explicitly a right-wing, fascist movement as it contained many left-wing artists also – as shown significantly by the emergence of Futurism in Russia in relation to Lenin.
Witches’ Sabbath offers an overload of the emblematic characteristics which were attributed to wi... more Witches’ Sabbath offers an overload of the emblematic characteristics which were attributed to witches during the early modern period, underpinned by the complete nudity of the witches. Naked witches were not often depicted in the illustrations of respectable, cautionary literary works concerning witches, hence this artistic choice on Baldung's part is a rather innovatory. Interestingly only a year after the unveiling of Witches' Sabbath in 1510, Die Emeis - which preocuppied itself with the Lenten sermons of Johann Geiler von Kaysersberg - was published in Strasbourg similarly depicting naked witches. Although we cannot say whether the inclusion of naked witches in Die Emeis was solely the result of Baldung’s depiction, it is very likely that Geiler would have been familiar with Baldung's work due to its popularity and this woodcut could have indeed influenced his own opinions and artistic choices. Whether Baldung intended his woodcut to not only reflect a “real-life” representation of witches but, more importantly, influence how they would be depicted by their persecutors in the future is debatable. Much of the debate surrounding this piece centres on this point: was it Baldung's intention to realistically depict witches or should Baldung’s work be viewed as satirical. Either way, there is much that this woodcut can tell us about what those who genuinely believed in the existence of witches and the way fear of witchcraft was constructed for public consumption.
The limitations for sexuality and sexual enjoyment during the Middle Ages were defined by the Chu... more The limitations for sexuality and sexual enjoyment during the Middle Ages were defined by the Church, likewise they who decided what sexual transgressions were. Transgression is defined as an act that goes against the law. The Church established a wide variety of limitations on how sexuality could be expressed, if at all, and practiced their control of this through various methods. The list of sexual transgressions during this period is so long that, for the sake of quality over quantity, this essay will discuss only same-sex relations (respectively) and cross-dressing.
Book Reviews by Guadalupe Morales Gómez
In Reconstructing Women’s Wartime Lives, Summerfield explores how women’s lives were affected by ... more In Reconstructing Women’s Wartime Lives, Summerfield explores how women’s lives were affected by the Second World War through verbal interviews with forty-two different women who had differing experiences and roles during the course of the war; these include: manual, non-manual, civilian and military. The use of oral history is discussed; she considers how the researcher fulfils a role towards the construction of a narrative through their scrutiny and subjectivity. The use of oral history can be commended for providing accounts from direct subjects of the research, it is not the views of people who were removed from events and are forming an opinion based on secondary data – however, it is still necessary to be critical of the data acquired and to consider all the different factors that affect them. Summerfield shows the reader through the differing opinions and experiences of the women interviewed that we cannot produce a single unitary understanding but must consider a range of outcomes for different women.
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Papers by Guadalupe Morales Gómez
In this essay, I will argue that Archivo de la Memoria Trans’s submissions facilitate discussions between international queer communities, which centre and explore local narratives on a global scale. To fully explicate my argument, I shall firstly discuss the importance of queer archives and the creation of the Archivo de la Memoria Trans – henceforth referred to as the archive. I will then analyse the nine works submitted to ‘Queerate Tate’ by the archive; looking at the parallels presented between Tate’s collection and their own photographs, and what they tell us about trans lives within Argentina. Lastly, I will discuss how these works address socio-political issues within Argentina and helps us to remember, but also reimagine, a queer past. As well as, how they create the possibility for transnational dialogues to occur which encompass and centre understandings of trans identities beyond the global North.
Book Reviews by Guadalupe Morales Gómez
In this essay, I will argue that Archivo de la Memoria Trans’s submissions facilitate discussions between international queer communities, which centre and explore local narratives on a global scale. To fully explicate my argument, I shall firstly discuss the importance of queer archives and the creation of the Archivo de la Memoria Trans – henceforth referred to as the archive. I will then analyse the nine works submitted to ‘Queerate Tate’ by the archive; looking at the parallels presented between Tate’s collection and their own photographs, and what they tell us about trans lives within Argentina. Lastly, I will discuss how these works address socio-political issues within Argentina and helps us to remember, but also reimagine, a queer past. As well as, how they create the possibility for transnational dialogues to occur which encompass and centre understandings of trans identities beyond the global North.