Fenna Jensma
Keywords: Feminism, Counter-offensive, Deconstruction
Fabricated Fears is an artistic counter-offensive against the visual regimes of far-right politics, and a plea for developing critical visual literacy. I unpacked seemingly innocent-looking images that are shared and circulated within two far-right Dutch political parties. These images serve as visual sedatives, stripping away critical viewing and manipulating the viewer toward radical, exclusionary ideologies. Far-right politics is deeply intertwined with the regulation and control of femininity. The “protection” of (white) femininity is a familiar instrument of state violence. A strategy present throughout history, it continues to be used to this day. My work is based on the understanding that when the image of the “innocent” white woman is propagated, that all women’s rights come under pressure and racist violence increases.
White women are rarely viewed as dangerous, a perception rooted in sexist, internalised prejudice, and so their perceived innocence becomes a tactical advantage in far-right agendas. This is used to legitimize anti-immigration politics and racism, positioning the white woman as a vulnerable symbol in need of protection. This exploitation of feminist themes increasingly appears in anti-migration and anti-Islam campaigns; a calculated attempt by Western European far-right parties to advance xenophobic and racist politics through the promotion of gender equality.
I have conducted this research based on my experience as a photographer and former photo-editor working in journalism, using both perspectives from within the image-making process. Photographs shape our worldview, both consciously and unconsciously, and contribute to how we define and understand ourselves and others. This research takes shape through an artistic response: photographs, video, collage and four different publications. By dissecting and recontextualizing the materials I encountered, the work exposes a reactivation of the already problematic, standardized, and idealized image of women.
