Female artists in work and about work. The cognitive dimensions of art

The subject of the article is the work of women artists, aiming to produce knowledge and reflection in order to change the social reality in which they live. The author invokes the report Little Chance to Advance? An Inquiry into the Presence of Women in Art Academies in Poland (by the Katarzyna Kozyra Foundation) in order to introduce the difficult and unfair work conditions for female artists in art academies. She attempts to recognize other cultural and social conditions of women's roles within the Polish artworld by analysing the artistic practices of Elbieta Jab(3)onska, Joanna Wowrzeczka and Julia Pop(3)awska. All these female artists raise questions about their work and the work of other women - living in two spaces: public and private. Their experience is doubly underprivileged - as women - they are worse paid, they are burdened by cultural stereotypes (connected with female-male oppositions like female nature - male culture, what is male is more valuable), they don't have access to as many jobs and social positions, etc. As female artists they are often treated in a condescending manner, they are not often promoted within art academies, female art is viewed as less rational, less important, and as a consequence - notoriously under-funded. Wondering about these socio-cultural contexts the author attempts to point out the cognitive dimension of art and knowledge with regard to the gendered division of work.