Martha Rosler: Irrespective

You may have seen her not-to-be-missed 1975 video “Semiotics of the Kitchen,” a parody of cooking demonstrations which features some ominous knife work and an ice pick. Or her lecture “Principles of Politics and Production,” from 2005. Feminism, poverty, consumerism, war and gentrification, among other issues, have been constant themes over the career of influential artist Martha Rosler, who traces her interests not only to her coming of age during the civil rights and anti-war eras, but also to the ethical background of her yeshiva education. Considered one of the most important voices of her generation, Rosler weds a strong engagement in social and political issues with incisive critiques. “Rosler’s direct, unvarnished take on current social and political circumstances is rooted in her belief in the capacity of art to teach, provoke, and ultimately motivate action in the people it reaches,” says Darsie Alexander, curator of the Rosler retrospective on view at the Jewish Museum in New York from November 2, 2018, through March 3, 2019. The exhibit catalog is published by Yale University Press. TheJewishMuseum.org