We recognize that the majority of art production is an affront to women’s rights on both a material and abstract level.
We call art misogynistic if it shows, displays, quotes or accepts the oppression or omission of women of any race, socio-economic grouping, sexuality, age group and ability.
We call art misogynistic if any woman detects violence, hatred or animosity in a work of art or an exhibition that is targeted towards her in a direct or indirect manner.
We call art misogynistic if it displays sexed figuration that is unnecessary.
We aim to dismantle and demolish the harms of misogyny in art production and unite against the infiltration of misogyny into art production, and into our lives.
We recognize that misogynistic art is a supporting element in male violence that is perpetrated against women of any race, socio-economic grouping, sexuality, age group and ability.
We also recognize that misogynistic art is a key element in male-on-male violence as well.
We seek to create a world where male sexual violence is not bought and sold as up-beat entertainment and/or art and/or as popular art.
We seek an art context free of art trafficking.
We commit to not buy, sell, expose or exhibit any works of art with misogynistic values or misogynistic representation.
Hence we will not buy, sell, expose or exhibit in a context that shows or collects misogynistic art elsewhere.
We commit to not buy, sell, expose or exhibit any works of art that dilute women’s intelligence or that promote consumerism, heteronormativity or shopping as a form of complex contemporary emancipation.
We commit to not buy, sell, expose or exhibit any works of art that reproduce or re-affirm misogynistic content, even when coated in the pretense of dissolving gender-categories. We also believe that to identify a work of art that produces or reproduces misogyny is not a matter of interpretation. If one or more women feel violated by a particular work of art or a form of representation in an artwork, they can remove the work immediately from the gallery or the institution, if it cannot be moved it may be covered instead. Because this is difficult in some institutions, they must demand that the gallery does so on their behalf.
The art-market should not drape himself around a work of art, keep touching it, or hold its hand in public on the pretext of affection. These and similar kinds of actions send message of proprietorial ownership. Worse, it feeds into sexist perceptions that pervade the way people relate to a work of art. There is always an (irrelevant) assumption that the artmarket is dominant. With the artmarket draped around art, it sends a strong signal that it is his appendage. It never creates the idea that the artmarket might be the work of art's appendage.
Men should not talk about art works as if they are objects, discussing what is a good acquisition and what is not, whether they would like to have discourse with particular art works, or their expectations as to whether they might be able to get a discourse into their collection.
We recognize that male artists, cultural workers, employees and employers are, structurally, beneficiaries and agents of the subordination of women of any race, socio-economic grouping, sexuality, age group and ability. If there is any hint that an artist is not comfortable, that she is resistant to particular art practices, or hesitant, the artmarket should ask, and give her a clear opportunity to ask, to
stop. If in doubt, if the market is not certain the artist consents, it should stop whatever it is the artist dislikes producing or consuming immediately. No means No.
We recognize that gallerists can do useful things other than selling objects, ideas or activities to collectors or curators.
We recognize that anti-misogynist curators are not stylists that style a room like a personal shopper styles an outfit for a specific occasion or location; rather, they are interested in artists’ work that is newly developed and that they have not seen prior to the exhibition they curate. We distinguish anti-misogynist curators from anti-feminist stylists.
We recognize that anti-misogynist art practice does not need to produce physical art objects that reaffirm patriachic objectification or reification.
We acknowledge that biological gender is a narrative that to this day is told in order to exploit women physically and economically and to legitimize the strategic and organized violation of human rights against women of any race, socio-economic grouping, sexuality, age group and ability.
Whenever asked to recommend, nominate or employ artists, we will name, hire and recruit women of any race, socio-economic grouping, sexuality, age group and ability.
We find separatist thinking a possibility for levelheaded anti-misogynistic art production.
We emphasize that to take a separatist, anti-misogynist position in the art and pornography business is NOT anti-queer and NOT against the practice of intersectionality.
We recognize separatist action as a strategy, not an ideology.
We recognize that these thoughts, if they were appropriated or abbreviated, can be used
and corrupted by pro-misogynists in order to generate material or abstract profit or codify conservative politics and invasions.
We denunciate such appropriation as deliberately pro-misogynist in intention and execution.