At the DMA’s ‘He Said/She Said,’ women artists have a lot to say

The Dallas Museum of Art is currently showcasing “He Said/She Said: Contemporary Women Artists Interject” until July 21, highlighting the significant role women play in the art world. Curated by Katherine Brodbeck, the museum’s Hoffman Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, the exhibition presents recently acquired works that challenge the traditional narrative often dominated by male artists. Veronica Myers, Curatorial Assistant for Contemporary Art and Asian Art, collaborated with Brodbeck on the curation of the exhibition.

“He Said/She Said” juxtaposes artworks by both men and women, sparking discussions about women’s historical position in art and shedding light on the contributions of women and people of color. The exhibition, organized thematically rather than chronologically, demonstrates the evolution of these creative dialogues.

Veronica Myers emphasized, “We really wanted to emphasize the fact that these dialogues have been happening across time and space and continue to be had.”

Foundational artworks, including pieces by Jackson Pollock and Jasper Johns, are featured alongside Kaleta A. Doolin’s “Improved Janson: A Woman on Every Page.” Doolin’s alteration of H.W. Janson’s “A History of Art” challenges the conventional depiction of women mainly as nude models in art history textbooks.

The exhibition’s first section, “Women and Appropriation,” showcases works from the Postmodernist era (late 1970s to 1990s). Myers explained that artists of the Postmodernist movement view creation as an act of looking back, referencing, and recontextualizing historical works. Through acts of appropriation, women artists in this section explore and redefine their identity, addressing themes of gender, race, and sexuality in powerful and thought-provoking ways.