Virginia Lee Montgomery: Sword in the Sphinx Essay by Jochen Wierich, Curator of Sculpture & Sculpture Exhibitions
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is excited
ARTPRIZE: Thursday, September 16– Sunday, October 3, 2021 EXHIBITION CONTINUES AT MEIJER GARDENS through Sunday, October 31
is pierced with a steel sword. The artist here asks
to once again be a venue for ArtPrize. After last year’s
provocative questions about the representation of
cancellation prompted by the pandemic, ArtPrize is
female power in art, adding another layer of meaning
back with a new focus on outdoor work—downtown
to a mythical figure with a complex history.
and at satellite venues, including Meijer Gardens
Visitors will see additional sculptures and videos by
—and an exhibition of sculptures and videos by
the artist inside the Welcome Center. Two short videos
Virginia Lee Montgomery (VLM).
by the artist will be shown in our O-A-K Theater,
The sculpture included in the ArtPrize competition is
alternating with the orientation film. The exhibition
Sword in the Sphinx, her surreal adaptation of a French
continues in our Courtyard Level, near the Peter M.
18th-century statue often found in gardens. The image
Wege Library, where four of VLM’s marble sculptures
and meaning of the sphinx has changed over time:
are on display. These smoothly carved and polished
The Greek sphinx typically featured a female head
marble forms resembling long ponytails are named
and torso on a lion’s body, while in Egypt the upper
after ancient deities, such as Aurora, Andromeda, and
body was male. By the time sphinxes appeared as
Medusa. VLM asks us to dissociate these forms from
ornamental garden sculptures in Renaissance Italy in
masculine phallocentric readings, shifting perspective
the 1500s, they were mostly female. In 18th-century
toward what she calls “feminist metaphysics.”
France, the sphinx took on the features of a courtly
ArtPrize has announced a new format for the
woman reminiscent of Madame Pompadour, the
public to get involved by giving everybody a chance
French patron of the arts and chief mistress of King
to award prizes directly. For more information, visit
Louis XV. VLM’s adaptation is of the Pompadour-
ArtPrize.org, where details about the process will be
style sphinx, wearing a bonnet and cape, yet her back
announced in the weeks leading up ArtPrize 2021.
PROGRAMMING
All events and activities listed here are included with admission.
HISTORY, HAIR, AND THE BODY: CONVEYING A FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE Sunday, September 26, 2 pm
COMPOSITE CREATURES: A BRIEF HISTORY OF MONSTERS Sunday, October 17, 2 pm
Suzanne Eberle, PhD., Professor Emerita, Kendall College of Art & Design
Amber Oudsema, Curator of Arts Education at Meijer Gardens
Like Virginia Lee Montgomery, many contemporary artists layer historical references and elements of the human form to address personal, social, and political issues related to feminism. Join us as we explore how and why these artists embody a complex feminist perspective in exciting, moving ways.
Part human, part animal: Images of composite creatures date back to prehistoric times. Their function in evolving cultures varies from the malevolent monster to the benevolent protector. Join us for a brief exploration of how these mythical beasts have appeared in art, from the ancient to the contemporary.
Provided by artist
7
