Veronica Orlandi

Thesis: Partire da sé. Art and Feminism in Italy, 1960s–1970s

Supervisor: Professor Sarah Wilson    Advisor: Dr Klara Kemp-Welch

Funded by Consortium for the Humanities and Arts South-East England (CHASE)

My project examines how feminism and art mutually informed each other throughout the 1960s and 1970s in Italy. Combining archival investigation and interviews, it explores artistic practices embedded in Italian activism and unveils its creative aspects, which can be retraced in the extraordinarily rich yet largely overlooked legacy of scripts, photographs, printed productions, banners, films and more left by feminist collectives. Expanding beyond the few already recognised artists, this study considers a diverse range of contributions, including experimental, non-professional, and collective modes of artmaking. The aim is to underscore a vibrant feminist creative scene that was often able to reach more women and have a more tangible social impact than male-dominated art institutions and galleries.