{"id":19350,"date":"2015-02-03T16:06:02","date_gmt":"2015-02-03T15:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?p=19350"},"modified":"2015-02-03T16:06:02","modified_gmt":"2015-02-03T15:06:02","slug":"petra-cortright-on-selfies-and-the-feminist-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/petra-cortright-on-selfies-and-the-feminist-question\/","title":{"rendered":"Petra Cortright on selfies and the feminist question"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Petra Petra Cortright. Photo by Anastasia Muna<\/p>\n

Since 2007, Petra Cortright has been cultivating a devoted online audience with her enigmatic\u00a0webcam self-portraits that employ various software tools to distort and adorn her body. Critically lauded too: Bruce Sterling called her work \u201cclear-eyed, dainty, and intuitive… weird in a way that net art has never been before.\u201d This signature weirdness can be found throughout Cortright\u2019s videos, digital paintings, websites, ebooks, printed silks and canvases as well as in her collaborations with fashion designers Stella McCartney and Roberto Sanchez. She has had solo exhibitions the world over, and her works have been shown in group exhibitions at the New Museum in New York and at the Venice Biennale. On the eve of her first solo show “Petwelt”, at Berlin’s Societe gallery, Cortright told Sleek the history and future of her singular vision.<\/p>\n

\nHi Petra. Why did you start making Internet art?<\/b> \nHello. I\u2019ve been making these videos for seven years but I\u2019ve been taking selfies ever since I got a digital camera when I was around 15. My first camera was a Canon Powershot ELPH; it was so cute. And at some point I just became curious to learn what makes digital photography unique, since it doesn\u2019t have same the precious quality that analogue has. I feel lucky to have grown up with it, as well as the Internet. True, I started early but technology wasn\u2019t so developed that I felt entitled to the endless amounts of resources that have become a birthright for kids now.
\nWhat sort of techniques and software do you use?<\/b> \nI use a lot of stuff everyone uses \u2013 all the Adobe shit \u2013 but I also have a collection of virus-y PC-based freeware. Ultimately, all I need is a computer. I don\u2019t have to pay for paint. Of course it gets produced as a physical thing and that costs a lot of money but I have the files. I\u2019ve never been worried about running out of ideas because I can experiment so much.
\nSince you\u2019ve gained renown, has the way you work changed? <\/b> \nIt\u2019s changed in unexpected ways. For \u201cBridal Shower\u201d, the project I did for Frieze, they had everything you could ever want but I only wanted to use a few things. When I arrived, I showed up with just a laptop and a webcam. They were so surprised, but there was only a fortnight to prepare, which wasn\u2019t enough time to plan anything bigger, and it took a lot out of me as it was. I didn\u2019t sleep, I drank too much and I just made too many videos. Following that, I\u2019ve turned into a healthgoth. I\u2019ve started drinking protein shakes and juice and I\u2019ve quit smoking and alchohol too. Back in LA, I even have a trainer. I guess that\u2019s been a positive change!<\/p>\n

\"\" Petra Cortright. Photo by Anastasia Muna<\/p>\n

How do you feel about collaborating with other artists?<\/b> \nI enjoy it when what we\u2019re doing isn\u2019t too different from my own work. But I\u2019m not into pushing boundaries or going too far out of my comfort zone. It\u2019s also hard for me to collaborate with most people unless there\u2019s a clear goal. It\u2019s easier with music and fashion because those roles are more clearly defined. Hearing the words \u201cdo what you want\u201d feels like an incredible burden.
\nWhat was it like working with Stella McCartney?<\/b> \nIt was so fun! We did a series of videos together, and she was so generous with her clothes and hook-ups. The paintings translate really well into prints too. I just sent her a PDF of designs for Autumn-Winter 2015, so those will be ready in spring. Each of my paintings has nearly 100 digital layers, so we\u2019re playing with what they will look like in real life. She\u2019s the designer though – I have a very fashion vocabulary. I can only discuss details and vibes.
\nEarlier this year, Dazed Digital listed you as a \u201cdigifeminist\u201d artist, but do you think about gender politics in relation to your work?<\/b> \nI feel like I\u2019m bombarded by people asking me if I\u2019m a feminist, and I\u2019m squeamish about it because it\u2019s a completely redundant question. If you are a woman, how could you not care about this issue? Personally, I don\u2019t want my life\u2019s work to be condensed into the proposition, \u201cWas Petra Cortright a feminist, yes or no?\u201d It\u2019s boring. But one thing I have noticed is that the higher you progress in any industry, the fewer women there are. Therefore, if you are a successful female, it\u2019s important to pass that knowledge onto others, and I\u2019m definitely interested in supporting all women.
\nDo you think more men should be asked if they are feminists?<\/b> \nYes, I think they should, because men never have to justify their masculinity in the same way that women are made to talk about being women. For example, discussions about women\u2019s work always has to mention femininity – it\u2019s never just about the work. And that sucks!<\/p>\n

\"Petra Petra Cortright. Photo by Anastasia Muna<\/p>\n

Entnommen aus Sleek 44 – What Women Want<\/a><\/em>
\nInterview von Ella Plevin<\/a><\/strong> \nMehr:\u00a0print features<\/a> online<\/strong> \nPetwelt<\/a>\u00a0– we review Petra Cortright’s first solo show<\/strong> \nReview of “Body Anxiety”<\/a>, the online exhibition\u00a0about female self-representation in net art<\/strong>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Petra Cortright. Photo by Anastasia Muna Since 2007, Petra Cortright has been cultivating a devoted online audience with her enigmatic\u00a0webcam self-portraits that employ various software tools to distort and adorn her body. Critically lauded too: Bruce Sterling called her work \u201cclear-eyed, dainty, and intuitive… weird in a way that net art has never been before.\u201d…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":19355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11856,139],"tags":[1259,685,527,2101,2174,1513,1099,2175,1959,2103,2176],"class_list":["post-19350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sleek-art","category-art","tag-anastasia-muna","tag-ella-plevin","tag-feminism","tag-gender","tag-health-goth","tag-net-art","tag-petra-cortright","tag-petwelt","tag-sleek-44","tag-sleek44","tag-stella-mccartney"],"acf":{"main_category":null,"legacy":"1","exclude_from_ads":null,"hero_title":null,"subtitle":null,"hero":null,"teasers":null,"facebook_image":null,"related_articles":null,"next_article":null,"sleek_card_focus":null,"content":null},"yoast_head":"\nPetra Cortright on selfies and the feminist question Petra Cortright on selfies and the feminist question<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/petra-cortright-on-selfies-and-the-feminist-question\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Petra Cortright on selfies and the feminist question Petra Cortright on selfies and the feminist question\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Petra Cortright. Photo by Anastasia Muna Since 2007, Petra Cortright has been cultivating a devoted online audience with her enigmatic\u00a0webcam self-portraits that employ various software tools to distort and adorn her body. 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