Conversation with Annie Feldmeier, Chicago, 2003

The conversation with Annie Feldmeier addresses the challenges artists face, especially in the U.S., in balancing an art practice with economic demands: “How do you balance your life when you know that you have to have a part-time or a full-time job?” Feldmeier takes a pragmatic approach, choosing not to rely on her art financially. Avoiding the stress of grant applications, she dedicates her mornings to artmaking and works a day job as part of a sustainable, long-term plan. “I had to stop thinking about art as a moneymaking activity. It doesn’t do me any good... But I’ve just decided, I need to carve out a space for myself and start there.”

Feldmeier’s work engages with American consumerism and capitalism. One project critiques so-called “hero marketing”: “Since September 11th, the word hero has been highly redefined to represent just about anything.” She humorously labels pencils as “hero products” to mock marketing language that equates trivial items with noble values. “I did a piece called A Thousand White Lies… with stacks of cards that say ‘I promise’,” she explains, addressing the repetitive and manipulative promises made by companies. “For me, I don’t make work that makes people feel good... I’m more interested in the underside of this world.”

Feldmeier draws on personal experiences to address taboos such as sexual harassment. She describes an installation piece she created “where a voice swirled around... it turns into all these different weird things that men have said to me to get me to kiss them,” presenting an audience with the objectifying and abusive comments women often encounter.

Feldmeier is aware of the power structures that influence gender dynamics. For instance, her work Sympathy Box juxtaposes feminine and masculine voices to demonstrate how women are often made to internalize blame, mirroring societal pressures. “A big discourse in the feminist movement I’m obsessed with is the idea of ‘mother’ and what ‘mother means… A lot of women reject their mothers because they don’t want to endure the abuse of living in a masculine society.” She reflects on her early feminist ideals of inherent female goodness, later realizing that women, like men, can be abusive. “How do women deal with authority? How do women deal with power?” This nuanced view leads her to advocate for equality, balancing responsibilities and opportunities across genders.