Women on the Walls: Women as Subjects in Street Art around the World

Women on the Walls: Women as Subjects in Street Art around the World


The first book to focus exclusively on women as subjects in street art, this study, part travelogue and part dialogue, examines these depictions of women artistically, politically, and culturally across continents. Interviews with artists peel back the layers between artist and image, revealing stories about their work, its context, and its environment. From artists in L.A. pushing back on Hollywood's shiny perfection; to painters in Costa Rica examining the cultural links of women, myth, and nature; to women in South Africa decrying domestic violence, what links these works are their temporality and public ownership. Why do wall artists choose women as their frequent and favorite subjects? What does it say about our conceptions of gender and rebellion, protest, pride, place, and community? And how does the growing commercialization of street art affect their portrayal? Color photos and guided historical context provoke these questions and inspire further ones.The first book to focus exclusively on women as subjects in street art, this study, part travelogue and part dialogue, examines these depictions of women artistically, politically, and culturally across continents. Interviews with artists peel back the layers between artist and image, revealing stories about their work, its context, and its environment. From artists in L.A. pushing back on Hollywood's shiny perfection; to painters in Costa Rica examining the cultural links of women, myth, and nature; to women in South Africa decrying domestic violence, what links these works are their temporality and public ownership. Why do wall artists choose women as their frequent and favourite subjects? What does it say about our conceptions of gender and rebellion, protest, pride, place, and community? And how does the growing commercialisation of street art affect their portrayal? Colour photos and guided historical context provoke these questions and inspire further ones. AUTHORS: Dr. Katja Fleischmann is an award-winning educator and researcher in design who has worked in Berlin, London, the United States, and Australia. She grew up in the German Democratic Republic, where street art was used as a propaganda tool. Her unique East/West design perspective brings a fresh set of eyes to the street art movement. Dr. Fleischmann is working as an associate professor for visual communication design in Australia. Robert Mann is a journalist and writer whose investigative work has included producing an award-winning documentary on the failed war on drugs in the United States. Mr. Mann lived and worked in Barcelona, Spain, editing a monthly trilingual broadsheet as Spain emerged from decades of dictatorship under General Franco. He has a keen interest in global politics and poster wall art to communicate political messages.