Feminist Substances: Plastics in Art of the 1960s and 1970s

In the art of the 1960s and 1970s, many women artists worked extensively with industrial materials such as plastics, challenging assumptions shaped by the dominant discourse of the period. Feminist Substances shows how their practices offered distinct, gender-aware approaches to synthetic materials, generating new meanings through a feminist lens. Focusing on Europe and Latin America, the book examines the work of Carla Accardi, Lea Lublin and Alina Szapocznikow, combining close analyses of selected artworks with broader reflections on their social contexts. It explores their use of Sicofoil, plexiglass, plastic inflatables, polyester resin and polyurethane foam to address themes central to feminist thought, including social reproduction, motherhood, memory, desire and illness. Moving beyond clichés about plastics as inherently 'bad' materials, Feminist Substances considers more complex, entangled ways of engaging with synthetic matter.

Author: Charlotte Matter
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Published: 05/05/2026
Series: Rethinking Art's Histories
Pages: 328
Weight: 1.72lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781526193575