Joan Does Dynasty

In Joan Does Dynasty — a hilarious classic of feminist media deconstruction — critic Braderman literally projects herself onto the set of the favorite series of one hundred million people in 78 countries. Her do-it-yourself deconstruction of TV’s most successful night-time soap opera is at once a succinct critical analysis of the disturbing cultural assumptions inherent in the narrative, and an unabashed appreciation of the show’s seductive power.

“Joan Does Dynasty has become the classic feminist performance video of the era.“

—Yvonne Rainer, Filmmaker

“Creating the "post-scratch" chroma-key switcher effects she has made famous, the artist inserts her body into the world of the prime time soap opera, Dynasty, where she does her now classic performance about the ways TV spectatorship simultaneously owns and disgusts its audience. Embodying the love/hate relationships so many of us experience with the characters and values of TV, Braderman "performs" feminist and reception theory, turning the reigning ideas of her period into video vernacular. She skewers 80's obsessions with money and power and its sexual anxieties in a piece — both hilarious and terrifying. Few have matched the bravery and wit of Joan Does Dynasty.”

— Bob Reilly, SF MOMA