Through July 17, 2022
Trexler Hall
With Open Arms (2009) is one of nine time-based media works donated to AAM by Francie Bishop Good and David Horvitz. These are the first examples of video art to enter the Museum’s permanent collection, and range from performance-based videos to animation that explores the process of painting as narrative.
In this video, artist Kate Gilmore beams and flings out her arms as though receiving applause, even though she actually faces a barrage of tomatoes. Gilmore often bases her work on humorous and uncomfortable physical struggles: in other videos she crawls through impossibly narrow spaces or kicks through sheet rock, all while wearing a dress and high heels. By juxtaposing these challenges with feminine attire, Gilmore highlights both the absurdity and harmful impact of gender norms.
Other artists whose work is featured in AAM’s Video Art Series include Rachel Perry, Jillian Mayer, Yui Kugimiya, Kanako Sasaki, Sean Raspet, and Teresa Diehl.
Featured image at top:
Kate Gilmore (American, b. 1975), With Open Arms, 2009, digital video with sound, 5 minutes 39 seconds. Edition: 5. Allentown Art Museum: Gift of Francie Bishop Good and David Horvitz, 2019 (2019.29.2)