If you’ve taken a walk through the Richard F. Brush Art Gallery recently, you’ve probably noticed the display of colorful stickers, ranging from empowering quotes to Mean Girl references, Grumpy Cat spoofs and everything in between. These stickers are all a part of the “She Slaps!” collection which features “Street Art Stickers by Women Artists from Around the World,” and is drawn from a private collection owned by Oliver Baudach, who is the founder and director of Hatch Kingdom Sticker Music in Berlin, Germany. The twenty countries represented by eighty-five female artists include the United States, Russia, Germany, and Austria.
These funky stickers contain everything from portraits, images, and texts-some fun, some representing a variety of themes including politics, punk culture, pop culture references, racism, and environmental issues. While that is a lot for a small sticker to represent, these powerful females do an incredible job at not only using their art to amuse and entertain their audience but also to express their emotions, opinions, and ideas about important topics. Although at first glance, it is easy to just admire the bright colors and unique designs, it is imperative to note the deeper meanings behind many of these stickers, such as masterpieces by Metraeda from Germany and Susi Possnitz from Austria. Both artists use street art to express feelings about important topics such as racism, gentrification, and feminism. Possnitz’s displayed stickers portray nature and different animals as she uses their images to condemn racism. One of her stickers of a panda states “Destroy Racism! Be like a panda. He’s black. He’s white. He’s Asian.” While her artwork is simple, it is profound and concise in getting her ideas across to her audience.
While a small number of these artists state otherwise, many agree that the theme of feminism and being a female artist has a strong impact on their art, as they design stickers about topics ranging from “gender-mainstreaming,” equality, and justice. They also agree that the community of female sticker artists is tight-knit and supportive, mainly due to the small number of members. Stickermaid from Germany believes “…the best thing is probably that we are not so many and therefore there seems to be a stronger sense of belonging together.” These women continue to inspire artists everywhere and sometimes even surprise their audience, who may be used to the street art field being formally dominated by male artists.
If you have a couple of minutes or are walking through Griffiths on your way to class, as I often am, stop by the art gallery and enjoy looking at these funky creations made by a group of bold women. The “She Slaps!” exhibit will be in the gallery through October 9th and there will be a Sticker-making discussion and hands-on workshop with Boston-based artist ANKANA on Thursday, October 3, at 4:30 pm. Stop by, enjoy some stickers, and learn a thing or two about the world of street art stickers!