Standards of female beauty, racial politics and the idea of the “other” in American culture all come into play in “What Makes My Hottentot So Hot,” a gallery show now underway at Solo(s) Project House by Newark artist Shoshanna Weinberger.
“What Makes My Hottentot So Hot is a line from the Wizard of Oz, sung by the Cowardly Lion,” said Weinberger, listing one of an eclectic list of inspirations for her work.
It’s also a reference to Saartjie Baartman, a South African woman brought to England in the early 19th century as a sideshow attraction, whose body shape drew prurient attention from European crowds.
“In graduate school I was interested in female display and excess beauty.....I was very interested in criteria for beauty, mainly criteria for beauty based on hair and the culture of hair,” Weinberger said.
Born in Jamaica to a black Jamaican mother and white Jewish father, Weinberger said she has long been interested in arbitrary beauty norms and the idea of difference within a culture, dating back to her childhood in Montclair, where she grew up.
After graduating from Montclair High School in 1991, she attended the School of the Art Institute in Chicago and, later, earned an MFA degree from the Yale School of Art. A Newark resident for the last several years with a studio in the East Ward, her work has appeared in a number of venues, including the Spertus Museum in Chicago, the Rose Arts Museum at Brandeis University and the Paul Robeson Gallery in Newark.* In 2006 and 2008, her work has also appeared at the National Biennial Exhibition in Kingston, Jamaica.
The “Hottentot Venus,” now considered a derogatory term, had a complex story, Weinberger notes. While there was a degree of exploitation involved in her appearances -- not to mention the reinforcing of some ugly racial stereotypes -- Baartman was, in a sense, using her audience as much as she may have been used.
Weinberger also hopes to explore notions of female beauty generally in this exhibit, incorporating some extraordinary elements -- including stripper poles. As part of her research, Weinberger spent time in strip clubs.
“I find find it very interesting that the strip club dancers have to use their currency in order to perform, this whole idea of commodity to exchange and trade,” Weinberger said. “There’s a business to this.”
What Makes My Hottentot So Hot appears through March 2 at Solo(s) Project House, 972 Broad St. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Friday noon to 6 pm. For more information visit www.solosprojecthouse.com.
*The article origainlly misidentified the location of the Robeson gallery.
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