“Artesanato + Activismo = Artesanativismo” Artesanato, Activismo Político e Feminismo na obra de Cristina Rodrigues

Abstract

The present article aims at analysing the “craftivist” project and the work of the Portuguese artist Cristina Rodrigues.
Originating from the feminist movement of the 1970s and 1980s, “craftivism” allied handwork and political activism, whose only predecessor had been the Arts and Crafts society. However, the feminist “craftivism” was distinguished by its clear association between two ostracized elements, both in society and in art: women and applied art.
Revitalized in the twenty-first century, “craftivism” has expanded the purposes of the former initiative to the most neglected social groups in the present day, by organizing collective endeavors. In this context, the work of Cristina Rodrigues will be paralleled with the ideology and practice of today’s “craftivism”.