A feminist manifesto to all women
When I was a little girl, I dreamed of becoming an illustrator when watching the “making-of” of some of my favorite Disney cartoons. Those old videotapes quickly became my favorites and I knew that I’d love to do something similar one day. Watching men drawing all day and bringing life into an imaginary world was thrilling, particularly for a young dreamer like myself.
Only that there was just one small thing… all I saw in those “making-of” videos were male artists which was weird for a girl who was raised in a matriarchal family. One of the most important things in my life was, and always will be, is the female community in which I was raised in. No matter what happened and who got into our way, we were always growing stronger together. In no small way this gave me the strength to go ahead and chase my dreams.
I’m proud to be raised by women who weren’t afraid of making brave decisions who lived by their own rules. That’s probably why we love Tina Turner so much. Tina ran away from a toxic husband and achieved an amazing career of her own.
I’m sure that’s also the reason why we love Madonna. A woman with a true rebel spirit, her 80’s and 90’s aesthetics inspired me to create a “Tribute to Madonna”. A three-piece animation designed about holy medieval triptych altars.
“The project is inspired by Madonna’s music and her performances, which fight unfair stereotypes about femininity.”
– Jago
The project is inspired by Madonna’s music and her performances, which fight unfair stereotypes about femininity. Her iconic look resembles Marylin Monroe, the world’s most known sex symbol. Her outfit made by Jean Paul Gaultier based on a tux and corset broke strict cultural conventions. She put in question what was thought to be appropriate for men and even more so what was thought to be appropriate for women. Madonna was brave enough to face criticism and do what she wanted to do as a free female artist.
Illustration is an important part of pop culture and in choosing Madonna, the queen of pop music as the lead character of my animation, this is not only a feminist manifesto, but also a tribute to all the women who played an important role in my life.