Riot grrrl was responsible for many good things: some awesome music, some similarly excellent writing, and a huge influence on the course of third-wave feminism. One aspect that doesn’t get quite the attention it warrants, however, is the movement’s aesthetic, which manifested in everything from zines and album art to video work and beyond, and made a lasting impression on artists who have been inspired and informed by riot grrrl’s ideas. Happily, an exhibition at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco is focusing on this very topic — the show is called Alien She (after the Bikini Kill song of the same name) and encompasses artwork from Miranda July, Allyson Mitchell, LJ Roberts, Stephanie Syjuco, Ginger Brooks Takahashi, and Tammy Rae Carland. We’re delighted to premiere a selection of July’s artwork from the show.
Miranda July, Missing Movie Report, c. 1996Photocopy masterCourtesy of Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, organized by Vanessa Haroutunian
Miranda July, Missing Movie Report, c. 1996Photocopy master Courtesy of Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, organized by Vanessa Haroutunian
Learning to Love You More Installation.jpgMiranda July and Harrell Fletcher, with website by Yuri Ono, Selections from Learning to Love You More (installation shot at Miller Gallery, Pittsburgh), 2002-2009Exhibition prints from web project and archiveCourtesy of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Miranda July, Joanie 4 Jackie, 1995-2003 (Installation shot at Miller Gallery, Pittsburgh)VHS masters, tapes and DVDs from the Chainletter Series with accompanying booklets of letters written by each filmmaker to other women on their compilation; VHS tapes from the Co-Star Series with accompanying posters; personal correspondence from July’s collection Courtesy of Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, organized by Vanessa Haroutunian
Miranda July, Somebody (poster), 2014
Miranda July, Atlanta (video still), 1996Single-channel video with sound, 57:30 minutesCourtesy of the artist and Video Data Bank, Chicago
Shannon Kringen, Goddess Kring (video still), 199613:38 minutesFrom: Selected videos from Joanie 4 Jackie, curated by Vanessa Haroutunian for Alien She, Single-channel video with sound, 114 minutes, Courtesy of the artists and Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson
Miranda July, Love Diamond (video still), 1998–2000From: Miranda July, Excerpts from performance documentation, 1998–2002, Video with sound, 17 minutes, Courtesy of the artist
Miranda July, The Swan Tool (video still), 2000–2002From: Miranda July, Excerpts from performance documentation, 1998–2002, Video with sound, 17 minutes, Courtesy of the artist
Miranda JulySelected recordings (installation shot at Miller Gallery, Pittsburgh), 1996–2002.Courtesy of the artist and record labels; Music ephemera courtesy of Ceci Moss and Astria Suparak
Miranda July, The Swan Tool (video still), 2000–2002From: Miranda July, Excerpts from performance documentation, 1998–2002, Video with sound, 17 minutes, Courtesy of the artist