Steven Kasher Gallery presents a major solo exhibition of pioneering feminist artist Joan Lyons. Lyons (American, b. 1937) is one of the great unsung artists of her generation. The exhibition features nine of Lyons’ pivotal photographic projects. This is the first gallery solo exhibition of the artist’s work since 2013. Lyons’ groundbreaking work freely combines feminist theory and personal experience. Her work is intimate and introspective, and at the same time fully invested in the indexical quality of photography.
Lyons’ work defies every artistic taboo of the 1950s. She had been taught that contemporary art should be universal, gestural, abstract, monumental — qualities which are inherently masculine. After trying and failing to follow these mandates, Lyons’ realized that her work could not be separated from her own experiences as a woman. Her personal narrative, different in content and tone from the dominant male voice, pushed her to establish new artistic structures.
