"Auction& Exhibition"

AQuarterlyNewsletterbyLaharyPittmanforCollectors,Artists&Curators

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Womens History Month

For this edition of Auction & Exhibition I am saluting the women of the world and their contributions. And while those contributions span leadership and innovation in countless fields such as science, social reform, politics, aviation etc., the focus here of course is art. Auction & Exhibition is pleased to present two captivatingwomenartists from America and Sweden. American Bonnie Rothchildis a midcareer sculptor that resides in New York City. Josefin Rasmusonis Swedish and is an emerging artist living in Stockholm that works in drawings, sound and installations.

Bonnie Rothchild

(L) La Speranza, 2008, Terracotta,19 1/4" h x 13 1/2" w x 7" d- (R) Soliloquy, 2010, Terracotta, 21" h x 7 1/2" w x 51/2" d All rights reserved, Bonnie Rothchild

In2007BonnieRothchildwonfirstprizeinthePenandBrush21stAnnualExhibition.Thatyearshewasalsoa winnerforBestinSculptureat theManhattanArtsInternational24thAnniversaryshow.Ms.Rothchilds work wasrecentlyfeaturedinthepublicationGallery& Studio. Moreofherwork,andcontactinfo,canbefoundatwww.bonnierothchild.com

Auction & Exhibition: Inyourartiststatementyourevealthatyourartevolvesfromrenewalandrebirth.Inthemostrecent

issueofGallery & Studio,MarieR.PaganoreviewedtheNovember2010BroomeStreetGalleryexhibition,whichyoushowedin, andreferredtoyoursculpturetitledIntertwinedas..asemiabstract,sensuallysimplifiedfemalefigurewithamysterious womblikeopeningoddlylocatedinitsuppertorso,pregnantwithaneggshapedinnerform.Whendidyoufirstrecognize these conceptsandwasthereanyspecificexperienceoreventinyourearlierlifethatinitiatedtheirinfluence?

Bonnie Rothchild: Ibelieveweareconstantlygrowingandrenewingourselves.Thingshappeninlifethatinfluenceusandwe

havetokeeponreevaluatingandthusreinventingourselveslikearebirth.Ihavehadmanylossesinlife,startinginmyteens whenmymotherpassedaway.Ithinkallthislosshashadaprofoundeffectonmylifeandmysculptures.Muchofmypastwork involvesfiguresemergingfromtreesorinvolvedwithtrees.Ifeeltreessymbolizegrowthandchange.Asthetreescontinuedto growandtheseasonschangedsodidmysculpturalstyle,givingbirthtomoresimplifiedstructures.

Auction & Exhibition: Canyoudescribeyourprocessofbuildingasculpture,whatmaterialsyoutendtouse,thetoolsinvolved

andhowlongeachstagetakesandperhapsmostimportantly,whatarethemostseriouschallengesyoufaceinbuilding,showing andstoringyoursculptures?

Bonnie Rothchild: ForalongtimeImadefigurativesculptureswhichhadadreamlikeimpressionisticquality.Duringthelast

fewyears,intheprocessoftryingtosimplifymyforms,Ivebeenmakingabstractsculptures.Mostofmysculpturesareterra cotta.WhenIbeginIhaveageneralideaofwhatIwanttodo.ButasIstartworkingtheclay,onapoleorboardusingan assortmentofwoodandmetaltools,IallowmysubconsciousmindtoguidemeasIadd,subtract,pushandpull,untilmyoriginal ideaistransformedintosomethingentirelydifferent. AsanewshapeemergesIflowwithit,tryingtobalancetheintuitivewithanincreaseinformalstructure.WhenImsatisfiedwith theworkathandandthepieceisleatherhard,Icarefullyremoveitfromtheboardorpoleandhollowitsomesothatwhenithas driedthoroughlyitwillfireevenlyinthekiln.Afterfiring,Imakerepairsas needed.ThenthepieceandIgothroughanother longprocessasIaddlayerafterlayerofpatinaandpigmentuntilitlooksandfeelsrighttome.Next,thepieceneedstobe mounted.Thiswholeprocesscantakeapproximatelysixmonthstoayear.Afterwards,Isometimeshaveamoldmadesoitcan thenbecastinaquaresinorbronze.Buildingmyworkpresentschallenges.Ihavetomakesuretousethecorrectstructuresothe piecedoesnotcollapse.Ialsoneedtotakecarethattheclayisnottoowetorelsethepiececanfallapart.Anotherthingisensuring thatitdriesproperlyforfiringsoitdoesnotexplodeorbreakinthekiln.Onceitisfiredandhasapatinaonit,Imountitand displayitonashelfinmystudio.Asfarasexhibitingmysculptures,Iaminaboutfourtosevenshowsayear.

Auction & Exhibition: Comparedtothehistoricalmaterialsandformsofclassicalsculptureinvolvingclay,stone,bronzeetc.,

contemporarysculptureseemstoencompassmanynontraditionalmaterialsandstylesthatoftenarenotreadily perceivedas sculpturebythelaypublic.Whatdoyouthinkaboutthisshiftincontextanddoyouthinkcontemporarymanifestationsofthe mediumwilleventuallyovershadowtheprevalenceofclassicalsculptureorthevolumeofitsongoingproduction?

Bonnie Rothchild: Thereisaplaceforalltypesofsculpturalstylesinthisworld.Giventhenatureofsociety,withallitsrapid

technologicaladvances,onewouldexpectnewthingstoevolvethatsomepeopleperceiveasartandothersdont.However,there issomethingpureaboutclassicalsculptureandIdontthinkitwillevertotallygooutofstyle.Ifyoulookbelowthesurface,ina sensethesenewstyleshavereallyevolvedfromtheclassics.

Auction & Exhibition: Youclearlypossessanimportantindividualstylethateasilydistinguishesyourworkfromothers.Asa

midcareerartistyoureveryacquaintedwitharangeof20thcenturysculptors.Ifyouweretoofferyour opinionofthemost important20thcenturyfemalesculptoraswellasmalesculptorwhowouldtheybeandwhy?

Bonnie Rothchild: AwonderfulsculptorwasLouiseBourgeois.Shewasamongthefirstsculptorstoexperimentwithalternate

materialssuchaslatexandsyntheticresin.Forhertime,shedealtwithtaboosandsexualthemeswithanunusualdirectness.Kiki SmithisanotherinfluentialsculptorIadmire.Shedrawsonmythology,fairytales,dreamsandhistory,creatingfantasticpoetic arrangementsthatshowtherelationshipbetweenhumankind,natureandthecosmos. Asculptorwhohas particularlyinfluencedmeisBrunoLucchesi.Heisarepresentationalsculptorwhogiveshisworkamagical qualitythatappearstoemanatefromhisheart.In2005IwasfortunateenoughtotakeaworkshopwithhiminScottsdale,Arizona. DuringtheworkshopIliterallygotstuckwhentryingtosculptafigurefromalivemodel.Ijustcouldnotsculptandheexpressed concern.ButwhenIshowedhimphotosofmysculptureshisfacelitupandhetoldme:Youaregood.Doyourownthing. He recognizedthatIwasextremelyimaginativeandneededtobe truetomyselfandsculptfromwhatIfeltfromtheinsideout. At thattimeIwasdoingdreamlikefigurativesculpturekindofamagicalrealism. Therehavebeenandstillaremanywonderfulandinfluentialsculptorsintheworld,bothmenandwomen.Iparticularlyadmire theworksofHenryMoore.Iagreewithwhathesaidaboutthemonumentalsenseofapiece.Hebelievedthatnomatterhow smallitwas,whenenlargeditwouldnotloseitsintegrityItwouldstillbecorrect.Itwasasifthedetailwassubservienttoits size;itwastheinnatevisionoftheartistthatmatteredmost.Hesaidthatallgreatsculpturehadthisquality.Therearemanyother sculptorswhohaveinfluencedme.InmylifeIhaveseenandabsorbedtheworkofmanysculptorspastandpresent.WhenIam makingasculptureIsometimescanrecognizetheirinfluenceinmyworkeventhoughIdonotintentionallytrytoemulateanyof them.

Auction & Exhibition: AssomeonethatwasbornandraisedinNewYork,youvementionedhowdeeplymovedyouwereearly

onbyGreekandRomansculptureattheBrooklynMuseum.YoualsoadmitbeinginfluencedbytheartandcultureoftheSouth Pacific,SoutheastAsia,AfricaandItaly.Thiswouldseemtogiveyouaninternationalperspective.Numerousartists,arteducators andartwriterssometimesnoteobservabledifferencesbetweencontemporaryAmericanandEuropeanartists.Doyoufindthere arecertaintrendsormindsetsthatdifferintheattitudeorapproach betweenEuropean&Americanartists?

Bonnie Rothchild: Ibelievethatingeneral,thedifferencebetweenEuropeanandAmericancontemporaryartistsishowtheir

culturesaffecthowtheyapproachtheirart.However,withtheadventoftheInternettheworldhasgottenalotsmallerandit reallydoesntseemtomatterthatmuchwhatcultureyouarefromintermsofmakingart.IdidspeakwithaEuropeangallery ownerwhoclaimsthatEuropeansaremorefinanciallysupportiveoftheirartiststhanweareinthiscountryandthisallowstheir artistsmoretimetobecreativewithouthavingtoworryabout makingmoney.ButwhenIaminEuropeIdontusuallyvisit contemporaryartexhibitions. WhenIwasachildIdidntrealizehowmovedIwasbytheGreekandRomansculpturesbutthinkingback,Ihadasenseof feelingsafeamongthem.WhenIvisitedtheSouthPacific,SoutheastAsiaandAfrica,justbeingtherewaslikebeinginvolvedin artIwasenamoredbythecolorsofthesky,trees,rocksandthesea;thebeautyandmovementsofthe people.WhenIwasin Zimbabweintheearly1990s,Iwasveryimpressedwiththewoodandstonecarvers.Theirworkwasbeautifullyandsimply formed.Iamveryfortunatetohavehadallthesewonderfulexperiences.TheyhavegreatlyinfluencedthewayIwork.

Auction & Exhibition: Whenweconsiderspecificachievementsbywomenartistsinthelast20years,suchasanumberof

womenhavingwontheTurnerprizesince1993 (including2010)ortheGuggenheimMuseumsFirstAnnualArtsAwardsin2009 wherebothartistoftheyear &bestcurator wereawardedtowomen,aswellasseeminglyincreasedfeaturereportingabout womeninmajorartmagazines;wherearewenowintheageolddiscussionofartandthewomenwhomakeit?

Bonnie Rothchild: For centurieswomensarthadbeenignored.Infact,fiveandsixhundredyearsagomuchoftheworkby

femaleartistswassignedbymen.Withtheadventofthefeministmovementinthe1970swomenfoundmoreofavoiceand recognitionintheworldofart.WomenlikeJudyChicagohelpedmakewomensartmorevisible.HermultiartistprojectThe DinnerParty honored999womenwhohadbeenforgotten.AnotherwomanwhoimpactedwomenandartwasMiriamShapiro. Buteventoday,withwomenwinningtheTurnerprize,femaleartistsforthemostparttendtobeignoredandunrepresentedin majorartgalleries,collectionsand exhibitions.

Josefin Rasmuson

(L) Untitled Stairway in the Metro #1, 2010, Blue and Black Ballpoint Pen on paper, 50x50 cm. - (R) Reveries #1 Amsterdam CS, 2010, Blue and Black Ballpoint Pen on paper, 33x46 cm

All rights reserved, Josefin Rasmuson

JosefinRasmusongraduatedin2010fromtheGerritRietveldAcademie(Amsterdam).Shehasrecently exhibitedattheBlackBoxGallery(Amsterdam,Sept2010),andTheCircleGallery/Natuurtalent (Amsterdam,NovDec2010).Moreofherwork,andcontactinfo,canbefoundatjosefinrasmuson.org

Auction & Exhibition: AlthoughyouareanemergingartistthatcompletedtheacademielastyearinAmsterdam,youve

managedtoexhibitfrequentlybeforethat,includingasoloexhibitionatTheHague.Inlightofthefactthatyoualsoattendedtwo artschoolsinStockholmbeforethat,towhatdegreewereyourthematicconceptsshapedbyculturaldifferences comparedtoyour ownintuition andsenseofself?

Josefin Rasmuson: IhavelivedinSpain,theNetherlands,Sweden,andtechnicallyspeaking,thesecountriesareallpartof

Europebuttherearealsobigdifferences.Theartschoolsandartmakinghavebeenpartofthelargerexperienceoflivingand survivinginanothercountry.Formethishasbeenacontinuousprocessofdestructionandreconstruction.AsifIhadtoloosepart ofmyidentitytoincorporatetheidentityofthenewplace.WhatIthinkofasselfandpersonhavechangedover theseyears.The ideaofself,identity,isoftenattachedtosomespecificthingslikeage,nationality,gender,religion,professionetc.Thesethings serveaneasyanswertothequestionwhoamI.Bymovingtoaplacewhereyoudontknowanybodyandyoudontspeakthe languageyouinitiallyfindyourselfdetachedfromtheseexternalreferences.Sometimesthatisfrighteningandsometimesitis liberating.InrelationtothethematicsthatIdealwithinmywork,itisimpossibletoknowexactlywhereandwhatisthesource, butof coursemyownexperienceofexclusion;beingtheother,permanentlyinastateoftransitionhasbeenquiteimportant.

Auction & Exhibition: Drawing hasconstitutedtheunderlyingstudyforsomanyotherartisticmediumsthroughouthistory,yet

isoftenrelegatedtosecondaryimportance.Ironically,nownewarttrendsseemtoberelegatingpaintingsthemselvesassecondary toinstallations,videoartandconceptualart.Nonetheless,eventssuchasLeSalonDuDessinContemporain(nowcalledDrawing NowParis)draws80galleriesfromthroughoutEuroperemindingusthatartists,collectorsanddealers continuetocoalesce arounddrawingasamediumdeservingequalimportanceinitsownright.Yourdrawingsseemtoexudethissenseofimportance, suchasyourWaiting/SpaceandReveriesseries,aswellasElevatordrawings.AsI becamefamiliarwiththesesmallerworksIwas struckwithhowlargetheywereinsignificancesimilartoSebastiaoSalgadoandhisepicMigrationsphotographs.Excepttheepic moodofyourworksseemtoreflectaninternalized,uniformlysomber,sullen&saddenedurbansocietywithoutpublicself awareness.Wastheimportance&inspirationtodothesedrawingsapersonalmeansofupliftingyourselffromthismindsetofthe massesorwasittomotivatepublicrecognitionofthesedronesyndromesinordertoalter society?

Josefin Rasmuson: Idontfeelanyneedtoupliftmyselffromthemasses,butofcourse,asanartistIalsoholdtheroleofthe

observer.Iamthereforetosomedegreeseparatedfrommysubjectmatter(atleastpartiallyandinmyownmind).Inthatway,and inrelationtowhatIhavesaidearlieraboutbeingtheother;Ithinktheseworksarealsoanactofappropriationofthespaceand themoment.AsIseeit,alienationisbuiltintothearchitectureoftheselocations;metros,busstops, elevators.Itslikethewalls, andthefloorsandthebenchesandeverysurfaceandcurveismadetosupportthetransitionalcharacter,toallowthemovementsof themassestogoonundisturbed.Whenyouactuallystopandlook,theseplacescanappearstrangelyunfamiliar,asifyouhad neveractuallybeentherebefore.Ithinkthesecontrastsarewhatdrawsmyattention;crowdedandempty,normalbutunknown, andwe,presentbutabsentatthesametime.Itsdefinitelyworthreflectingonintermsofhowwewanttobuildourcitiesandhow thecitiesthatwebuildwillaffectusinreturn.

Auction & Exhibition:How doyouprepareformostdrawings;whatareyourfavoritetools&papers,andwhatdurationoftime

doesittakeforyoutocompletesmalldrawingscomparedtolargescaledrawingssuchasyourcolorelevatorpiece?

Josefin Rasmuson:Iusuallyworkalotwithphotographs,andactuallyphotographyisbecomingmoreandmoreimportantasa
supporttomywork.IfIdrawwithoutamodelorphotographicsourceIworkfromideasofwhatsomethinglookslike;whatdoesa sittingpersonlooklike,whatdoesthistypeofspacelooklike,whatistheangleoflightifthewindowishere?Itbuildsona generalizationandsimplificationwhichbecomesvisibleinthework.Sometimesthisisgood,sometimesit isnt.PersonallyIam inclinedtolookfortheunseen,theinbetweenotherthings.Thismeansalsoinbetweenstereotypes.Inphotographstherearea

scopeofdetailsthatmaketheimagespecific,notgeneralized.Anotherbenefitwithusingphotographs especiallythosethathave beencasuallytaken,orwiththepurposeofdocumentingsomethingentirelydifferent isthatIcanrelyoncoincidencetomake somechoicesforme.Ioftenfindthatsuchcoincidentalmaterialcanmaketheworkstronger. Timewisetheballpointpendrawingsarequiteconsuming.TheworkUntitledstairwayinthemetro#1tookmeovertwoweeksto accomplish,workingeveryday,includingtheweekends,forabout1011hours.Itisthemonotonyandintensityofmakingawork likethisthatmakestwoweeksalot.Theworkisonly50x50cm!Somehowthough,theinvestmentoftimeandlabourcanbevery importantforaworktobecomeanobjectofart.WiththeElevator,thisqualitywasnotasimportant,sincethe workwassite specificandnonpermanent.Inthiswaythesituationdeterminesthematerial,sizeandpresentation.Becauseofthemediumofthe ballpointpenIhaveendedupworkinginsmallerscalesbutwhenIamdonewiththeseriesUntitledstairwayinthemetroI intendtoexperimentwithanothermaterial,possiblyoil,withthepurposeofmakingaseriesoflargerworks.

Auction & Exhibition: When ImetyouinLondonandobservedtheworkyouwerehangingInoticedthat(likemostEuropeans)

youwereconversingwithdifferentcadresofpersonsinanumberoflanguages.Howmanylanguagesdoyouspeakanddoes beingmultilingualaffordyouanyspecialadvantagesinconceivingandprocessingyoursubjectmatterandartmaking?

Josefin Rasmuson:Ispeakthreelanguagesfluently;Spanish,English,Swedish.ApartfromthatIreadandconverseinDutch,
andIcanmanageinFrench.HadInotbecomeanartistIwouldprobablyhavedonesomethingwithlanguages,andstillsomepart ofmewantstogodeeperintothat.However,themostapparentadvantagewithknowinglanguagesisthatIcancommunicatewith alotofpeople,andthereforegetabetterunderstandingoftheculturaldifferencesthatlayunderneaththeir valuesandchoices. Butitgoesfurtherthanthat.Alanguageisnotonlythewayapersonwillformulatetheirthoughtsbutalsothestructurewithin whichthesethoughtswilltakeform.TherearethingsthatyoucansayandthinkinSpanishwhichjustdoesnotcomeoutthesame inEnglish,andwordsandconceptsinSwedishthatareperfectlyuntranslatabletoDutch.InthiswayIthinkalanguagecanbe bothrestrictingandliberating,andknowingmorelanguagescanallowyouawiderperspective. Beyondthis,andwithriskofappearingabitcounterconsensus,Iamnotcertainthatknowingmorelanguagesisanadvantagefor measanartist.Iamnottalkingforartistsingeneral,butformepersonally.AsIsaidpreviously,Iamoftenseekingtheinbetween ofsomethinginmywork.Thisgoesforlanguageaswell.Wordsareobviouslycrucialtocommunicationandunderstanding,butas Iseeitawordcanbeequallyobscuringasclarifying.Takeloveforexample.Thecontentofthatwordisextremelydefinedand stillcompletelyobscure.Ihavelearnedtoassociateaspecificfeelingtothiswordbutthereissomuchaboutthatfeelingand relationthatdoesntseemtofitintothedefinition.InartIusuallyfindthatwhatisinbetweenthewords,thatis,whattheydont say,is moreinterestingthanwhattheyactuallydosay.Andtodothat tocapturewhatisinbetweenwordsanddefinitionsinart itisasiflanguagesometimesneedstobeavoideduntilafterwards.Butstill,Ibelievethatmyloveforlanguagesandmyattempt toavoidsometimesthemarerelated.Itcomesdowntoanattempttoreconceptualize,forwhichpreviousconcepts,andperhaps conceptualizationassuch,sometimeshavetobeputasideforawhile.

Auction & Exhibition: On yourwebsiteIwasquitetakenwithyourElevatoressaybecauseinadditiontothesenseof

cramped,micromanaged,publicmovementmentionedhereearlier youalsohaveauniquemeansofperfectlyreplicating artificiallightinsidetheelevator.Howdoyouthinkthisworkrelates,stylisticallyandthematically,toyourotherworks?Willwe seemoreofthisstyleutilizedinyourevolvingthematicdrive?

Josefin Rasmuson:Well,onecansaythattheseworkshavethesamesubjectmatter,butthattheyhavedifferentapproaches.
Centraltoallofmyrecentworkisthenonpersonalspaceandtherelationsevolvinginthisspace.Itisthiscontradictionthat becomesthefocalpoint;Waiting/Space,ReveriesandUntitledstairwayinthemetrofocusingprimarilyonthespacewhilstpeople aresecondary.IntheElevatorworksitisthepeoplethatareinfocusandthespaceismerelysuggestedthroughtheirclothingand position.Bycompletelyremovingthebackgroundfrom theimage(thedrawingsaremadeonplexiglass)Iwantedtoplacethe figuresinthespaceinwhichtheyarepresented.Iwantthemtomirrortheviewerbytheirnormalityandsubtlegestures.Thiswas alsooneofthereasonswhyIworkedwithhumansizefiguresintheactualelevator.Iwantedthemtohaveapresenceinthespace, assomethingwhichwasalsothere,nexttotheactualusers.

Especially the smaller works in this series are examples of how I use photographs to render very subtle details, a glance, a shift of a shoulder. It is such details that carry the tension through the picture; personal and non personal, closeness and distance. Here it is again the unspoken, inbetween quality that come to surface. A work that inspired me greatly was "Lift" by Marc Isaacs. I also watched the elevatortrailer to "The Shining" and went up and down elevators over the whole of Amsterdam. I found it quite interesting that I never got over my own feeling of uncomfortablity in these places. On the contrary, I simply became hyper aware of the presence of myself and others, our smells, sounds and silences. I believe there will be more work with this theme and aesthetics. I mean, this work exists somewhere between the work "Secret Episodes", which is a spacespecific sound installation, and the ballpoint pen drawings that are more "objects". Thematically, these works are all strongly related but they require different mindsets and I usually end up working in one way or another during a period of time.

Auction & Exhibition: Only recently have I come to understand that you also create sound installations as part of your
conceptual art. Last year you installed a sitespecific exhibit in Amsterdam called Heated Bench in a Cold Church (2010) as part of your "Secret Episodes" work. As described on your site, "the visitors were invited to sit down on a heated bench and listen to a series of soundnarratives on headphones. The narratives were slightly pornographic and described situations that had possibly happened or could be happening in the church. The visitors could project these narratives on other visitors, but were also projected upon themselves as the narrative described scenes happening on the bench". By what means were you able to give visitors the ability to project these narratives?

Josefin Rasmuson:Well, the principle is to insert extra information into a situation with the purpose of changing how the
situation appears to the person receiving the information. It sounds more complicated than what it is. In this case it was made so that the narratives involved very loosely defined characters for example "a man in his forties", "the tourist couple" or "the woman on the bench" so that the likelihood that a person fitting the description would be in the church was quite high. Suddenly someone would walk by who fitted the description, or someone would sit on the bench and look just like the woman sitting on the bench in one of the narratives. This was not meant as a deception, but as a possible interpretation that would for a moment interfere with how the listener viewed themselves and the other visitors of the church. In this way it is concentrated more on the character of relations, the unspoken looks and touches and moments that occur between people. This was of course meant to contrast with the church and the cold (the exhibition was in the middle of January) and the fact that this church happens to be in the center of the Red Light District of Amsterdam. But this work was funny like that; like a warm and sudden, unexpected gift that made you blush. There were plans for a similar work involving a public toilet, but I had too much work and I never got around to it. Perhaps I ought to; its the kind of playful, immediate work that you can think back on and laugh.

Auction & Exhibition: As you know, this issue of "Auction & Exhibition" is in honor of what Americans recognize as "Womens
History Month". Do women in Europe share the same concerns of American women (at least historically speaking) of a lack of recognition for modern achievements?

Josefin Rasmuson:There is the 8th March International Womens Day but I dont think there is anything like a "Womens History
Month". Women in Europe are a very diverse group of people, that I cant speak of or for as such. The differences are huge between different countries and within countries. Also, there is often a large difference between public policy and what is actually going on. In general I think there are womensgroups and feminists and people all over Europe who recognize the fact that women have been under represented in the history books, together with other "minorities" or "exceptions". In the same way there are people raising questions of representation in government or the conditions of work i.e. salaries or maternity/ paternity leave, or abortion rights. On the 8th of March a little bit of this struggle becomes visible in the media. It is however impossible to generalize this progress, there are too many things that differ, and I dont know enough about it to make relevant comparisons. Personally I am primarily worried that the achievements that have granted us the autonomy we have today in the Western World will be forgotten, US and Europe alike, and that we will lose the rights that previous generations have fought hard for. And there is still much to be done.