EXPLORING THEMES OF

IDENTITY WITHIN...

Rage
Becomes
Her
BY SORAYA CHEMALY
As a group we
divided the
book up into
extracts that
interested and
influenced our
own practice.
Chp.1 - Nice to meet you, Rage
Extract Anecdote:
The context: chemaly's mother was
gifted a set of plates for her wedding. In ____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
a moment of anger she through this ____________________________________________________
'prized gift' out the kitchen onto the ____________________________________________________
terrace below. The story is told from ____________________________________________________
pov of Chemaly (as it the rest of the
anecdotes from this book).

Chemaly describes the china plates as a "core aspect" of her mothers identity, reducing her
mothers very being down to this material object that she eventually finds her self throwing out
of the kitchen window.
Chp.1 - Nice to meet you, Rage
A quote from the extract :
I found the quote "Why do we so rarely
_________________________________
learn how to be angry?" powerful in
__________________________________________________
the context of identity as it made me _____________________________________
think of the ideas surrounding 'learning
to be human' which almost disregards
__________________________________________________
anger as a human trait, alienating ________________
negative emotions.

Chemaly talks about how she doesn’t remember having conversations of emotions with her
parents, rather she learned through observation of how they reacted to situations. The idea that
we learn to be people by watching other people.
Do we emotionally learn anything from art?
 Cindy Sherman
Untitled Film Stills
• In this installation of work Sherman creates
70 black and white film photos in different
'personas' that she created over the space of
3 years in NYC.
• She very simply links through the ideas
taking on different 'identity's' in her work.
Chp.1 - Nice to meet you, Rage
Summary:
In this section of the chapter,
Seraya evaluates her mother's
behaviour. She has concluded
that her mother hurled the china
dishes as a coping mechanism,
which is regrettably an
unhealthy method for her
expressing her rage. She also
places the blame on society,
which insists that women ought
to display their feelings in
private
“Furious feelings are best
kept to oneself. That when
they do inevitably come out,
the results can be scary
shocking and destructive.”
So seraya talks about how
keeping your feelings bottled
up is considered more
destructive whereas, The
appearance of a cheerful
woman is better than an
emotional one which we
have been taught by
watching others.
What is a “good woman”?
Helena
Arturalezan
Schotman
• Whilst searching for a
relevant artist for the extract I
came across Helena
Arturalezan Schotman, she
specialises in acrylics
creating her work in the form
of abstract and surrealism.
While nature is her main
source of inspiration Helena
focuses on the strength and
sensitivity of the female.
Chapter 1, Nice to
meet you rage –
page 5
Extract summary
This extract explores nuanced aspects of anger, while specifically
emphasising that men and women both experience anger, but their
responses and societal expectations differ significantly.
Chemaly notes that women tend to experience anger more frequently,
intensely and for longer when compared to men.
The passage then explores how women are more likely to express anger
verbally rather than physically, emphasising the link between female
anger and feelings of powerlessness, in contrast men tend to feel more
powerful when angry.
Chemaly argues that despite these differences, women’s responses to
anger are often overlooked in public.
Finally, the extract also addresses how societal structures are affected by
the influence of gender-role expectations and the lasting impact of
binary gender schemas.
Jenny Holzer
• Jenny Holzer is an acclaimed artist and known
for her use of language in v isual art.
• Holzer is a neo-conceptual artist, which is a
mov ement that emerged in the late 20 th
century, where artists incorporate
contemporary elements into their practice,
often engaging with political, social and
cultural issues.
• Holzer’s work often explores political and social
themes, through text-based installations.
• I thought that her work would link well with
Rage becomes her, as Holzer also explores
women’s experiences, emotions and societal
expectations.
• I will be looking at her 1993 project, Lustmord,
which was created to expose the sexual
v iolence in the Bosnian war, the series features
handwritten texts on human skin.
 • both Holzer and Chemaly explore power dynamics in their work. In
the rage becomes her, Chemaly notes that ‘men more frequently
associate feeling powerful with experiencing anger, but women,
notably, associate powerlessness with their anger’. In Lustmord,
there is a certain power that comes with the bold statements- the
act of being able to express these intense emotions publicly.

Rage Holzer’s artworks challenge the traditional associations between

anger, power and gender, while reclaiming power.

becomes her
• The word Lustmord, is a German word that means sexual murder
which prompts the viewer to reflect on societal attitudes towards
women’s anger, something that is often portrayed as threatening

X Jenny
or a taboo. Holzer’s deliberate use of language through her art
challenges the viewer to confront this discomfort, which
challenges Chemaly’s argument, that ‘women's responses are

Holzer routinely ignored in public discussion’.

• Holzer chooses to present her text-based art in public spaces,
whereas Chemaly emphasises the lack of public discussion when it
comes to women’s anger. However Lustmord, was displayed in a
public setting, encouraging viewers to engage with the artwork
while also challenging societal norms. This juxtaposes Chemaly’s
argument that ‘women's responses are routinely ignored in public
discussion’.