Feminist substances : Plastics in art of the 1960s and 1970s

Feminist substances considers why and how women artists engaged with plastics as artistic materials in the 1960s and 1970s. Discussing the works of Carla Accardi, Lea Lublin and Alina Szapocznikow, the book explores the feminist potential of these controversial materials, addressing questions of social reproduction, motherhood, desire and illness. -- .

In the art of the 1960s and 1970s, many women artists worked extensively with industrial materials such as plastics, challenging assumptions shaped by the dominant discourse of the period. Feminist Substances shows how their practices offered distinct, gender-aware approaches to synthetic materials, generating new meanings through a feminist lens. Focusing on Europe and Latin America, the book examines the work of Carla Accardi, Lea Lublin and Alina Szapocznikow, combining close analyses of selected artworks with broader reflections on their social contexts. It explores their use of Sicofoil, plexiglass, plastic inflatables, polyester resin and polyurethane foam to address themes central to feminist thought, including social reproduction, motherhood, memory, desire and illness. Moving beyond clichés about plastics as inherently ''bad'' materials, Feminist Substances considers more complex, entangled ways of engaging with synthetic matter.