Tracing the power of women: Kartika Affandi’s artistic practice through the lens of gender analysis

Abstract

The author examines the dynamics of power relations and forms of resistance practiced by Indonesian female painter Kartika Affandi through an ethnographic methodological approach. This study highlights how gender identity and women's position in the art world are produced, constructed, and resisted within the Indonesian socio-cultural context. This research adopts the theoretical framework of gender performativity by Judith Butler, as well as Antonio Gramsci's theory of hegemony and Stuart Hall's theory of identity. Data collection in this study was conducted through field observations, in-depth interviews, and active participation in women's art communities to understand the social processes that shape their artistic practices and gender identities. The results show that female painters not only confront patriarchal power structures and cultural hegemony that marginalize them, but also assert their identities through artistic innovation and practices that reject these patriarchal norms. These findings emphasize that gender performativity, combined with an analysis of power and cultural identity, functions as a subversive tool and empowerment strategy within the local cultural context. Art serves as a crucial medium in the struggle for women's equality and empowerment in Indonesia, while also revealing the dynamics of power and resistance in the process of gender identity formation.

Keywords: Resistance; Female Painters; Kartika Affandi; Gender Analysis