It’s an incredibly difficult feat as an artist to be both critically successful and commercially viable. Especially if you’re female. Fashions and trends come and go and to remain relevant you need the ability to constantly re-invent and evolve. Many have their time in the spotlight but are all too often soon forgotten. Occasionally, their art will be rediscovered and a new generation will be exposed to their work. This is the case with Penny Slinger.
Born into an age of post-war austerity and traditional values, Penelope Slinger embraced the vibrancy and liberalisation of 1960s London. The British artist made the most of these new freedoms and embarked on a voyage of self-discovery; channelling her energies into creating revolutionary films, sculptures and collages. Despite being at the peak of her powers in the late 1970s, a decade later her work was virtually forgotten. In Penny Slinger: Out Of The Shadows, Richard Kovitch investigates this disappearance and why her output is so ripe for rediscovery.
Penny Slinger was undoubtedly ahead of her time, both as a feminist artist and a pioneer of counter-culture surrealism. Kovitch interweaves her videos into his story, producing a portrait of a fearless and ground-breaking woman. Penny Slinger: Out Of The Shadows is a fascinating, enlightening and imaginative documentary which casts a light on the work of an almost forgotten artist and gives it space to breathe.
Penny Slinger: Out Of The Shadows is out in cinemas from 28 June and will be released on Blu-ray in the autumn.
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