Isabelle Borg : Art and feminist perceptions

Abstract

The key issues that will be addressed in this dissertation are concerned with the art and life of Isabelle Borg giving particular interest to the Feminist element within her artistic oeuvre and to her contribution in a male-dominated environment. This thesis is mainly concerned with the relationship between Borg’s life, as an advocate of women’s rights, and her art that should not be discussed independently from each other. Within the Maltese art scene, there was no such thing as a ‘Feminist Art Movement’, and even when all-female exhibitions were held, they were non-political. Socially, we are then presented with a number of individuals who came together and worked towards equality through different NGOs and associations. To focus this research on an artist who has only recently passed away has been both an advantage and a disadvantage. Since Borg’s art and life had not been previously studied in-depth it was essential to gather basic information from friends and relatives of the artist, carried out through interviews. It has also been vital to make use of newspapers, articles and exhibition catalogues to collect information. A crucial part of this dissertation was Feminism and whilst conducting these interviews, it became clearer that there were different interpretations of the term ‘Feminist’, which may have caused misinterpretation between the intention of the questions addressed and the participants’ interpretation. The first chapter of this dissertation deals with a basic background introduction of Isabelle Borg. Her art and life and contribution to teaching are discussed whilst also trying to make clear her impact as a Feminist artist in Malta. The second chapter focuses on Feminism in Malta as well as internationally, giving an understanding of the currents, parallels and differences between the evolution of the movement abroad and on the island. This chapter also introduces the Moviment Mara Maltija as an important NGO for women’s rights, which was founded by the artist herself. Even though Feminism in the art scene is touched upon in chapter two, it is in chapter three that Borg and her female contemporaries are discussed as artists within a male-dominated environment. Here, I also shed light on her studio which was an important space for the artist along with exhibitions that she participated in. The fourth and final chapter gives a critical analysis of Borg’s works, these are discussed by finding parallels to Feminist theory. The works have been categorised according to the artist’s own documentation. Therefore, the works categorised under ‘Abstract’ and ‘Primitive’, have been called so by the artist herself. Borg’s artistic oeuvre is large and rather everlasting and only a small hint of her works were included in the catalogue. I have then provided a more extensive list of her works, both of which are seen in the appendix. It is important to point out that this list of works is certainly not complete, as works by the artist are spread across other local and overseas private collections. There have been a number of works that have been listed as ‘Untitled’. These works are labelled so due to the lack of documentation on the work itself.