As the current election season unfolds, it feels like we’re caught in a surreal déjà vu. As a society, we’ve made significant advances in many areas for women’s rights, but as soon as we thought the fight for equality was almost over, women’s reproductive rights are at risk once again.
A study from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network shows 13% of all college students experience rape or sexual assault, including 26.4% of undergraduate women and 9.7% of graduate women. The ongoing issue of sexual assault is a major problem on its own, and many women feel scared to pursue legal action after experiencing sexual assault, because of the risk of not being believed. These struggles are compounded by the possibilities of women’s reproductive rights being stripped away and losing bodily autonomy.
Philadelphia is full of artwork that portrays the emotional overload a woman can experience due to sexual assault. At the Philadelphia Museum of Art, there is a piece called “Etant donnés…” by Marcel Duchamp that can be analyzed in terms of sexual violence against women. Duchamp’s “Étant donnés…” is a three-dimensional environmental tableau like a wooden door, and looking through two holes in the door shows an image of a naked woman lying on dead shrubbery. In my art history classes at St. Joe’s, we have discussed interpretations of Duchamp’s works that reflect the complexities of gender dynamics, including themes of sexual agency and objectification.
Viewers have described Duchamp’s artwork as “the strangest work of art in any museum,” which fits the feeling of this election. However, it truly encapsulates the uncertainty many women experience regarding future decisions about their own bodies.
Artwork such as this piece and many others play such an essential role in our society because they can portray messages in a manner that goes beyond spoken or written words. These types of compositions represent issues with raw emotion, which allows them to resonate with their audiences. The pieces express a genuine concern for our society, pushing us to educate ourselves and one another and to make a positive impact on the upcoming election.
