A.I.R Gallery: “The History Show: Work from 1972 to the Present”

The A.I.R. gallery was established in 1972 as a “response” to the lack of space given to female artists in galleries. “The History Show: Work from 1972 to the Present” exhibition currently on view is a combining of seventy-five A.I.R. artists from the past and present. Feminist content is often the motive for the work but it’s not all agenda driven. Jill Parisi’s capricious Untitled piece and Howardena Pindell’s Op art certainly counteracts the obvious feminist framework of Mary Beth Edelson’s and Silvia Sleigh’s contributions. However, the gallery seems to favor their feminist foundation heavily. A.I.R takes a fresh look at past artists by merging their old and established work with emerging artists’ less familiar art. The mixture shines a new light on the past while elevating the contemporary work to a position of recognition.