Between 2006 and 2008 I painted Hot Topic, a series of 60 portraits of feminist icons based on the song by the icnonic electro-feminist band Le Tigre. The goal of the project was to engage in a form of political art-making that was not critical of dominant culture, but instead celebratory of alternative social movements. The series depicts an informal “who’s who” of feminist icons from the last century. It was my desire to explore the role of the artist as memory-keeper and visual documentarian, and in doing so to play a small role in preserving the memory of these influential figures.

Hot Topic is a tribute to feminist heroes of all stripes: artists, activists, writers, musicians, and oth- ers. Many of the people in the song have strongly influenced my own development as an artist and activist but are relatively unknown outside of certain subcultures. In a world that celebrates manufactured pop stars but forgets the names of suffragists, I wanted to find a way to solidify the memory of the underground superstars whose creativity and ideas have made such a difference to feminists of my generation. It was a challenge; even in this internet age finding information on many of the figures who I wanted to paint proved difficult. In the end several of the portraits re- main faceless. These omissions eloquently illustrate the difficulty in preserving the memory of cul- tural figures who exist outside the mainstream, and proved to me all the more that the project I was embarking upon was necessary.

I am currently painting a follow-up to this series entitled Hot Topic Redux, with generous support from the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec. Please visit the page www.hottopicproject.com to participate.