Every era has its great thinkers. People whose ideas challenge us, whose philosophies guide us, and whose insights deepen our understanding of the world. Think of Plato, Karl Marx, Confucius, or, I guess for some, even Andrew Tate. We live in a conceptualised world. This means that the way we perceive the world and the way we shape our society is not fixed: we can choose whose work we build upon. Yet the names and contributions of women are underrepresented, or worse, completely missing from the foundation of our shared intellectual heritage.
I want to live in a world where women’s ideas help shape our worldview. Now, as a mother to a daughter, that goal feels even more urgent. This project is my way of redressing the balance. Through my portraits, I aim to contribute to what anthropologist Margaret Mead refers to as our “spiritual and mental ancestors”: the individuals whose values we draw upon to shape our identity and worldview.
“When women kick ass, history rarely bothers to write it down.”
Deborah Francis White, The Guilty Feminist
The inspiration for this project partly comes from one of the women I’ve portrayed: Christine de Pizan. In 1405, she published Livre de la Cité des Dames—The Book of the City of Ladies. It was a formal response to the popular but misogynistic Roman de la Rose by Jean de Meun. In her work, she uses a wide range of famous women from history as building blocks to construct a metaphorical city and argument. Each woman added to the city strengthens her case that women are valued participants in society. Christine worked at the French court and was one of the first women to earn a living by writing books. Some 615 years later, she is part of the “city” I am building.
I also draw inspiration from artworks like Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, which gave historical women a seat at the table, and Patricia Kaersenhout’s Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner Too, which expanded that table to be more inclusive. These works remind me that we can choose whose legacies we honour – and that we must do so intentionally.
Since the start of this project, I’ve kept a growing list of women to research and portray—activists, authors, philosophers, teachers, politicians, academics, architects, designers, scientists, and adventurers who have shaped how we think about the world. The challenge isn’t finding candidates; it’s choosing among them. Whenever I can, I aim to pick women from diverse cultures and eras. But often my choices are intuitive—driven by a vision and a desire to be inspired or surprised.
“Pre-analytic vision. Worldview. Paradigm. Frame. These are cousin concepts. What matters more than the one you choose to use is to realise that you have one in the first place, because then you have the power to question and change it.”
Kate Raworth, economist, in her book ‘Doughnut Economics‘
The curator Okwui Enwezor said “making is a form of investigating.” And following his belief, I carve linoleum portraits as a way to connect with these women and their legacies, researching their lives while giving them a face. Linocut printing has its own rich history, and though I’m eager to learn more about this medium, the final form of presentation is still evolving. Right now, it lives on brainandguts.nl, but perhaps a book, blog, exhibition, database or storytelling night will follow. Whatever best serves the stories.
ABOUT ME
My name is Carine and I live in the Dutch city of Haarlem, carving these lino portraits on my dinner table. I studied art history and anthropology and currently work in the cultural sector. Brain & Guts combines two of my favourite things: gathering stories and working with my hands.
Brain & Guts 