Olivia Parkes
Contributor
The Artist Who Painted the Politically Invisible and the Politically Active
For most of her life, the 20th-century painter Alice Neel worked in obscurity, depicting people of color, the working class, intellectuals, and activists. Now, a new exhibition curated by Hilton Als examines her portraits of her neighbors in Harlem.
Rachel Cusk Examines the Power of Motherhood by Ignoring It
While many writers have turned to autobiography in their work, the Canadian author, who was torn apart in the press after publishing controversial memoirs about motherhood and divorce, has developed a unique strategy for critiquing culture in her new...
Meeting Strangers in the Night and Taking Their Photos
Artist Laurel Nakadate does the things young women are warned never to do when meeting strangers from the internet—celebrate a birthday, play dead, dance in her underwear—and the resulting photos and videos depict the strange combination of intimacy...
Deceptively Whimsy Paintings with a Political Stroke
Artist Sophie von Hellermann isn't afraid to be cute, girly, and playful. Case in point: She answered our questions with drawings. But her work is anything but light.
Artist Mickalene Thomas Is Bringing Black Women into the Canon
Drawing inspiration from her childhood in the 1970s as well as the full scope of Western and African art, Thomas uses painting, photography, collage, and video to demand her glamorous, assertive subjects be seen.
Photos of the Drama of Womanhood
Marjorie Salvaterra's black-and-white depictions of women combine glamour, humor, and the mundane to make powerful statements about the roles women are expected to play.
The Artist Painting Memories of Iraq
The singular work of Hayv Kahraman is influenced by "decorative arts" as much as recent political history—and the combination is as beautiful as it is uncomfortable.
Imagining Women's Lives in Painted Dreams
In her surreal, thoughtful paintings, Swedish artist Karin Mamma Andersson explores historical conventions for shaping the female mind and body, from corsets and dollhouses to strip clubs and brothels.
Photos of Forbidden Female Catholic Priests and Feminist Spirituality
For the past four years, lapsed Catholic Giulia Bianchi has been photographing the women who defy the Roman Catholic Church to become ordained as priests.
'Cliteracy' Artist Sophia Wallace on What It's Like When Your Work Goes Viral
Like the clitoris, the works in the queer conceptual artist's new show, "OVER and OVER and OVER," are small but powerful.
This Artist Is Flirting with Surveillance and Romancing Spies
For Jill Magid, loopholes, laws, and secrets are paint, clay, and canvas.
Heaven and Hell Meet in Hieronymus' Hometown
A 'Garden of Earthly Delights' and more emerged at the Het Noordbrabants Museum in the Netherlands for 'Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of Genius.'