Held annually on 8 March, I is a global event celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. With this in mind, we’ve collated five exhibitions which reflect on the lives of women and girls worldwide. From films and photography to AR and new technologies, these shows attempt to redress the balance 鈥 challenging existing art historical tropes whilst moving discourse forwards.
Sutapa Biswas (b. 1962) has shifted our understanding of post-war British art, encouraging us, as visual theorist Griselda Pollock notes: 鈥渢o acknowledge the Eurocentric limits of the discourses within which we practise.鈥 Since the early 1980s, Biswas has consistently explored gender, identity and desire, creating vital works as part of the Black Arts Movement in Britain. BALTIC鈥檚 show, Lumen, features drawing, photography and moving image 鈥 including a new film that maps a semi-fictional narrative of migration, as well as works exploring motherhood and colonial histories. Until 20 March.
Carolyn Drake鈥檚 (b. 1971) Knit Club is the result of a several-years-long collaboration with a group of women living in Water Valley, Mississippi. The resulting images aim to offer 鈥渁 different perspective on southern femininity and motherhood鈥 allowing the women to reclaim the ability to craft their own stories.鈥 Influenced by writer William Faulkner, Drake鈥檚 images are enigmatic and Gothic in style. From cinematic portraits to more conceptual compositions, Knit Club is richly layered with symbolism. Snakes coil around tree trunks, whilst model houses sit amongst sun-bleached grasslands. 5 March – 9 April.
This show highlights 30 female-identifying artists from around the world. Through 鈥渂eautiful, disruptive and experimental lenses,鈥 photographers subvert the male gaze: a perspective predominant throughout cultural history. Nude addresses the centuries-long fascination with the naked body in art 鈥 navigating the balance between 鈥渢he nude鈥 as an idealised form versus honest, natural and personal expressions. Pictured here is Yushi Li and Steph Wilson’s Feast Inside, which reflects on the staging of eroticism in Western art. Also featured are Dana Scruggs, Evelyn Bencicova and Brooke DiDonato. Until 1 May.
Aesthetica Art Prize finalist M贸nica Alc谩zar-Duarte (b. 1977) is perhaps best known for Second Nature, a series probing algorithms, search engines and the impact of digital bias on Mexican women. Now, using augmented reality, lightboxes and video presentations, she poses questions about the future of space exploration. What do these endeavours mean for humans on earth? What are the potential implications of colonising of a new planet? How can we proceed peacefully, whilst preserving our own planet? Astro 2030: Present Future combines science, technology and art whilst allowing audiences to interact. Until 31 March.
Indian artist and activist Poulomi Basu (b. 1983) is recognised for amplifying women鈥檚 voices 鈥 advocating for the rights of marginalised communities using the power of photography. In her deeply emotive new show, Fireflies, Basu foregrounds the relationship between mother and daughter. The body of work reflects on experiences of trauma 鈥 particularly patriarchal violence 鈥 navigating 鈥渢he claustrophobia of home, dreams of freedom, defiance and transcendence.鈥 Speaking on the series, she says: “I owe it to the women who have opened themselves up to me. I want them to know that we are fighting this oppression together. We are doing this with collective agency. Our voice of resistance.鈥 4 March 鈥 4 June.
Image Credits:
1. 漏 M贸nica Alc谩zar-Duarte, from the series聽Second Nature, 2017-2020.
2. Lumen聽(film still; 2021), Sutapa Biswas.聽Photo: Carlotta Cardana; 漏 Sutapa Biswas. All rights reserved, DACS 2021
3. 碍补迟丑别谤颈苍别,听2019.聽Archival pigment print, 37 1/2 x 50 inches. From the series聽Knit Club.
4. Yushi Li and Steph Wilson, Feast Inside (2020).
5. 漏 M贸nica Alc谩zar-Duarte, from the series聽Second Nature, 2017-2020.
6. Poulomi Basu, from聽Fireflies, 2019 – ongoing
