University of Houston-Clear Lake to Host First Retrospective of Feminist Artist Faith Wilding

CLEAR LAKE, TX — The University of Houston-Clear Lake will host the first major retrospective of feminist artist Faith Wilding.

The opening reception for "Faith Wilding: Fearful Symmetries" will be held on Sept. 1 from 6-8 p.m. at the university's art gallery in the Bayou Building, 2700 Bay Area Blvd., in Houston. The exhibit will run through Dec. 8.

The exhibit is currently touring across the country, its stop in at UHCL will mark the university's first attempt at hosting a nationally touring show and Wilding's first solo show at a Texas visual arts space.

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Although Wilding has primarily been thought of as a performance and site-specific installation artist, she has also created many pieces on paper.

The exhibit will feature some of the more notable paper works, many of which focus on images that reflect Wilding's ongoing exploration of how waiting, becoming and transformation define and influence the female experience.

Wilding achieved notoriety as a second wave feminist artist when she helped found the Feminist Art Program in Fresno, CA in the early 1970s. The exhibit at UHCL will include a video of her performing a poem entitled "Waiting" as part of a 1972 art installation in Hollywood.

The installation, entitled "Womanhouse," transformed a decrepit mansion into an exploration of the psyches of various women artists. The artists used the house to writ their fantasies, fears and desires — particularly those related to domestic environments — large.

About 35 years after performing "Waiting" Wilding created a companion piece, "Wait-With," which will also be shown at UHCL.