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Primal Scenes

Linda Mary Montano

1980 00:09:52 United StatesEnglishB&WMono4:3Video

Description

Over grainy, black and white images of a woman giving birth, Montano reads the story of a nun’s sexual self-discovery—recounting Sister Joan’s growing awareness of her body’s sensuousness and sexuality. Primal Scenes is an excellent example of women’s erotica, focusing on a woman’s experience of her body as both sexually powerful and deeply mysterious. Montano uses stirring images of women acting in the rather traditional roles of nun and mother, yet she recasts these roles and demonstrates, from a woman’s point of view, the possibility of claiming a fully-realized sexual intensity for women.

This title is only available on Surveying the First Decade: Volume 1.

About Linda Montano

Originally trained as a sculptor, Linda Montano began using video in the 1970s. Attempting to obliterate the distinction between art and life, Montano's artwork is starkly autobiographical and often concerned with personal and spiritual discipline. She spent two years in a convent and studied Yoga and Zen. In 1983, Montano and artist Tehching Hsieh were literally tied together for one year in a living performance. Her avowed interest lies in "learning how to live better through life-like artworks," with personal growth evolving out of shared experience, role adoption, and ritual. Exploring a wide range of subjects, from personal transformation and altered consciousness (Primal Scenes, 1980) to hypnosis and eating disorders (Anorexia Nervosa, 1980), Montano's work from the '70s and early '80s was critical in the development of video by, for, and about women. Her early work includes Mitchell's Death (1978), Handcuff with Tom Marioni (1975), and Characters Learning to Talk (1976-78).

Also see:
Linda M. Montano 1984: An Interview

Linda M. Montano 2016: An Interview

Linda M. Montano's Seven Years of Living Art

Linda M Montano: 14 Years of Living Art