ABSTRACTI♀︎N, Curated by Missy Ueda and Emma Langridge, Five Walls, Footscray. 1 - 18 February.
Five Walls presents the work of fifty Australian abstract artists in an expansive exhibition across four gallery spaces. This endeavour attempts in some way to redress the gender imbalance in the art world, but moreover, it signals the continuing presence and ongoing practice of women artists in Australia and around the world.
In 1968, the National Gallery of Victoria opened its doors on its inaugural exhibition, The Field. This was a landmark event: a comprehensive survey of abstraction in Australia.
The work of forty artists was presented, including hard-edge, geometric, colour and flat abstraction. The intention was to underscore a vastly underappreciated genre which favoured form, line and colour, whilst eschewing representation and figuration.
In 2018, The Field was recreated. All attempts were made to replicate the original exhibition, down to the silver walls of the gallery space.
However, by recontextualising the exhibition in the 21st century, the curators also reiterated the gender imbalance, underscoring it, emphasising it. Of the forty artists, thirty-seven were men - and three were women. Normana Wight, Janet Dawson, and Wendy Paramor were the only females whose work was included.
This was less than five years ago.
We live in a time where we collectively look to the past and turn over rocks, attempting to rediscover what was there all along, We reinterpret, rewrite and rediscover what was lost, redressing past inequalities in order to provide a fairer assessment of what really happened, and to move forward with the intent to be fairer. We are aware that so much has been omitted from the history books.
In the year 2023, an exhibition highlighting the work of women abstract artists in Australia should not be needed. These artists work daily at their practice, which is also to say that it is an everyday activity.
So, though it should not be needed, for now it is absolutely necessary.
We need to keep saying it, with the ultimate goal of not needing to say it.
Exhibiting artists:
Susan Andrews, Billie Baker, Pamela Bain,Irene Barberis, Rhonda Baum, Karen Benton,Louise Blyton, Elisabeth Bodey, Anna Caione, Michelle Caithness, Veronica Caven Aldous, Magda Cebokli, Jenny Zhe Chang,Caroline Collom, Donna Comfort, Nancy Constandelia, Rox De Luca, Kerrilee Dixon,Tina Douglas, Nanou Dupuis, Jodie Flugge,Leila Gerges, Graziela Guardino, Kate Hendry, Suzie Idiens, Shelley Jardine, Linda Judge, Wendy Kelly, Emma Langridge, Natalie Lavelle, Kerri McConchie, Rebecca Monaghan, Claire Mooney, Ro Murray,Simone Nelson, Yuria Okamura, Lisa Pang,Sarah Ritchie, Sarah Robson, Fiona Schoer,Anne Scott Wilson, Anna Steele, Eva Stimson Clark, Maki (Maja) Suljevic, Wilma Tabacco, Leah Teschendorff, Patricia Todarello, Elke Varga, Karen Wells, Susan Wirth.
Five Walls
lvl 1/119-121 Hopkins st, Footscray, 3011
E: info@fivewalls.com.au
T: 0421706205 or 0403055344 (sales)
open: wed-sat 12-5pm
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