Hot Topic Project

'Hot Topic’ is a series of 60 paintings portraying each person mentioned in the Le Tigre song of the same name. This song is a tribute to feminist heroes of all stripes: artists, activists, writers, musicians, and others. 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.

Portraiture has traditionally been used as a means of depicting the wealth and high social standing of its (often male) subjects. I wanted to use the portrait for its ability to announce importance and greatness, without upholding the tired ideals of the brave and solitary hero or genius.

Presented on the wall in a grid, the works no longer stand as individual portraits and instead form a pastiche that is indicative of the interconnectivity and community so integral to feminist culture.

In 2012 I am creating a new series: Hot Topic Redux. This follow-up series will consist of 20 paintings that continue in the spirit of the original series.

The world is full of amazing people, but unfortunately we don't live in a culture that will remember most of them. The Hot Topic Project is a place to help keep alive the memory of cultural producers who fall outside the mainstream.

Hot Topic Redux needs you! Please submit your ideas for who should be included using the Contact & Submit page. Together we can make the world a more interesting place.

Kirsten McCrea is a Canadian artist whose work explores issues of cultural memory, looking at pop vs. underground culture, the media, and popular mythologies. Primarily a painter, she is also the founder and editor of Papirmasse, an affordable art subscription that sends a monthly print to hundreds of people around the world every month.

Kirsten started the Hot Topic Project in 2006 out of a desire to make political art that was not critical of dominant culture but instead celebratory of alternative social movements.

Visit her website at hellokirsten.com