FEMINIST ART EXHIBITION OPENING IN MILWAUKEE ON EVE OF REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
Large-scale art exhibit made entirely of Swarovski Crystal examines the personal and the political
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Friday July 12, 2024 – Milwaukee, WI – Feminist art exhibition Capitol V by Milwaukee artist Niki Johnson is opening tonight, Friday, July 12th from 6-9pm at Var Gallery located at 643 S 2nd Street.
The exhibition, titled Capitol V, draws focus to the negotiation of power between women’s bodies and state governments across our country. The exhibition features portraits of all 50 state capitol buildings as well as the capitol buildings of six inhabited US territories, each made completely out of Swarovski Crystal. Each capitol is framed in a layered shadow box, so the crystal used in personal adornment of the mons pubis, or vajazzle, appears to float over a “virgin” landscape. The portraits are scaled to one-tenth the height of the actual capitol buildings. Each artwork holds between 150 to 2,800 crystals, bringing nearly 60,000 crystals to the exhibition space.
Niki Johnson is an internationally recognized artist known for her political artwork. Eggs Benedict, a portrait of Emeritus Pope Benedict woven out of condoms, is now a part of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s permanent collection. Hills & Valleys, a sculpture made out of defunded Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin signage has accompanied Johnson on national speaking tours.
In her statement for Captiol V, Johnson says: “Our nation is born through our bodies, so how and when this nation is built is ours to decide. Decisions about access to abortion, birth control, hormone therapy, and IVF have no place in the state house. Our physical autonomy, identity, and personal freedoms are fundamental human rights. Humor and joy are important activities in maintaining resilience, and this show draws from a visual language that is both inherently playful and irreverent to open dialogue about the current state of reproductive justice in the United States of America.”
Johnson connected with Josh Hintz, owner of Var Gallery, after learning the Republican National Convention would be hosted in Milwaukee. “When Niki initially shared her vision with me I knew straight away that I wanted to do everything I could to support it, and with the RNC descending on our city- this felt like the perfect fit for our space,” Hintz.
Capitol V will be on view following the opening reception this evening, Friday, July 12th through Saturday, September 28th during normal gallery hours or by appointment. Var Gallery is located at 643 S Second Street, Milwaukee, WI 53204. There is no admission and viewing the exhibition is free to the public.
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