Penny Slinger: Dirty Girl
© Dhiren Dasu, 2016
Interview by Musée Magazine
Where do you see yourself fitting within the context of the British Surrealist Movement? How did you see women interface with the movement in general?
I was never part of the movement as such because the heyday of the Surrealists was over by the time I appeared on the scene. This saddened me a little as I was longing to be part of something bigger than myself and I wanted the co-creative dynamic of an actual movement. However, I felt the tools offered by Surrealism had long-term validity and application.
I was always more attracted to the European Surrealists than the English. As far as women Surrealists were concerned, I did not feel that the women working within the movement made art that delved into areas specific to the feminine, and that is where I felt my contribution came into focus.
In retrospect (because I was not that familiar with her work at the time) I feel more akin to Frida Kahlo than any other female artist. She used the language of Surrealism for her own form of intense introspection and self-reflection. From the start, I wanted to apply the techniques opened up by Surrealism to probe and lay bare the female psyche. Similar to Frida, I was not so involved with fantasy, but with plumbing the depths of the subconscious in order to mine the jewels of the inner being and shine some light on them.
'Passivity is the Active Fantasy,' photo collage from '50% The Visible Woman,' (unpublished version), 8x10 inches, 1969 © Penny Slinger
