Relief. That’s how women around the world responded when they could finally come forward about decades of sexual harassment, discrimination and assault with last year's #MeToo movement. Just earlier this week, actresses including Zoë Kravitz and Meryl Streep wore black at the 2018 Golden Globes as a symbol of protest.
Yet the space for women to be seen and heard unapologetically and on their own terms shows no signs of extending to the art world. Little seems to have changed a century after the nude female form scandalised Parisians, with Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani’s exhibition shut down within hours of opening at the Berthe Weill Gallery. Even in the 1970s, works from sex-positive female artists were branded too“sexually explicit” to be put on show.
While female art doesn’t quite elicit the same response today, safe spaces for female artists to express themselves completely uncensored are few and far between. It’s this that led curator, illustrator and London College of Fashion student Florence Given to organise and curate all-female art exhibition Girls, Uninterrupted in conjunction with Creative Debuts. “We’re all so used to censoring our art and photography online and it just feels wrong censoring something which you intended to capture,” she tells me. “I wanted to create a completely safe space for young women to express themselves uncensored and uninterrupted.”
Expect 25 emerging artists from around the globe to showcase works spanning Islamophobia, female sexuality and Trump. Portland-based photographer Kat Miller’s portrait “Zahara in the Nude” is unapologetic about not conforming to Eurocentric beauty ideals, while Canadian-Pakistani multimedia artist and ‘feminist Muslimah’ Aima Niqabae channels her frustrations at Muslim women’s representations in the mainstream.
From women still having to find creative ways of posting their nipples on Instagram or face getting blocked to sexual harassment survivors increasingly shunning fears of coming forward as testament to the #MeToo movement, Girls, Uninterrupted couldn’t have come at a more poignant time.
Ahead of the exhibition opening, we spoke to five of the artists about why work for and by women still has the power to shock, how a post-Weinstein world has impacted their art and why all-female shows are needed more than ever.
Girls, Uninterrupted
Creative Debuts, 115 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3AD
Private view 11th January, then open to public 12th-15th January 2018
Rosie Foster, photographer
What are the main themes in your art?
The female body, in all its glory! I love to photograph the less obvious women and I tend to steer away from anyone too ‘groomed’. I’ve always felt a little on the outside of mainstream fashion or society and I like to reflect that in my work. I’m also aware that women have been heavily sexualised so I like to offer a female perspective on what is sexy and attractive in a woman. For me, that is often softness and strength and I love an unapologetic stare.
Tell me a bit about your pieces on show...
The nude of Georgie is part of a series of images of her and her husband. We were all hungover and sleepy on the shoot day so I decided to go with that vibe. I love how soft her body looks but how obviously strong and fine with her stripped-back appearance she is. A lot of people I photograph immediately go into the more common poses that we see in fashion. I think she looks like a beautiful classical nude painting.
What does having your art uncensored mean to you?
That the women I have photographed get to look as absolutely beautiful as they are, no cover-ups. It literally hurts my heart to have to cover up their nipples or their vaginas.
Why do you think it’s important for women’s art to be uncensored?
As much as I disagree with the inequality of censoring and I think it’s really OTT, I also know that there is a line that some people will cross and it can be difficult to define where that line would be drawn. I wouldn't want my kids stumbling across porn online before they are of an age to understand what it is but I also don't want them to think that women should be covering up the very parts of their bodies that give life. This is one of the reasons why my house is covered in my work – in the living room, the bathroom, and the hallway. There are photos of boobies in pretty much every room of the house.
Why do you think art for and by women still has the power to provoke shock?
I think it’s because we are finally starting to talk about all the 'gross' stuff that our bodies have been doing since the beginning of the human race. I don't know why that is so shocking but I think it’s great. The more we talk, the less shocking it gets and then we'll hopefully go on to talk more openly about the more serious things that women have to experience. We're just warming up.
Do you think now is an exciting time for women in the art world?
Yes, it’s awesome! I wish I could have seen some of the art I’m seeing now when I was a teenager – maybe then I wouldn't have been so ashamed of my body and its functions. I had terrible lessons around sex and my body. Girls these days are being encouraged by the art world to stand up...and in some ways, this was previously lacking.
Jess Farran, photographer
Tell me a bit about your pieces on show...
They’re part of a body of work titled “The Sex Series”. I started this project two years ago for a photography class in college but it quickly turned into something much bigger. I’ve always had terrible sexual anxiety but I didn’t know how to deal with it or how to address it so I took photos of others embracing their idea of what 'sex' was in hopes of becoming less afraid of sex itself. Each photo in the series shows a very specific person in a very specific place embracing their sexuality, or lack thereof. It’s not always about intimacy or romance or eroticism or self-love but it’s not disregarding those themes either. Each person I photograph has an opportunity to be themselves fully without the boundaries of what society calls 'sex'.
Why do you think it’s important for women’s art to be uncensored?
The female narrative has been suppressed for so long that it’s only that much more important that we have an opportunity to be loud and raw and unapologetic.
What does having your art uncensored mean to you?
It’s amazing to me how galleries can still turn away my photos because they’re not the right 'fit' for the audience. What does this teach students and aspiring artists if we can’t look at images of sex without being embarrassed? Showing my work free of censorship and guilt and shame is a powerful feeling and it’s one I hope many other artists after me are able to experience as well.
Why do you think art for and by women still has the power to provoke shock?
Because people are still shocked by the power of women. They’re shocked by our audacity and our strength and our talent, which is odd to me because I’ve never known women to be anything but.
How much has the post-Weinstein world and greater opportunities for women’s experiences to be heard the world over impacted your work?
The#MeToo experience was hard. It was a day I’ll always remember and it was full of tears and cups of tea gone cold and depression naps. It was hard but it was binding. After that day, we didn’t need to know the details of each other’s stories because we knew that we all had stories of abuse and harassment. That knowledge will never not affect the work that I make.
What would you like the exhibition to achieve?
Ultimately, I would love for this exhibition to be filled with dozens of men and boys that come out woke and respectful beings to the female struggle.
Aima Niqabae, graphic designer and illustrator
What led you to become an artist?
During Ramadan in 2017, [I was part of a group] called Woxmen and Femmes of Halaal. The group were able to openly discuss their religion, anxieties and the micro-aggressions they face or just vent about sexism. Women in the group often were able to relate to the issues and provide solutions. In appreciation of these women, I started to create graphics that would represent the way Muslim women wanted to be represented and not just as a one-time tokenistic gesture. I started with those that represent me as a woman who chooses to observe her niqab but will not let her experience with it be a source to slut-shame or victim-blame other Muslims who choose not to. They’re asserting their agency and demanding their rights to freedom and that’s something I could admire and gain strength from.
What are the main themes in your art?
They challenge the narrative that Muslim women are submissive. Being a feminist isn’t at all incompatible with Islam. It also brings to attention that Islam isn’t a monolith and being Muslim is not a race but an intersectional identity. My art can only speak and relate to the lived experiences that have built mine and my sisters’ identities. I won’t try to tell a narrative that isn’t ours. Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, sexism, terrorism and displacement, unfortunately, is an experience that POC/women and religious minorities can find relatable.
Why did you decide to take part in the exhibition?
Taking part is literally giving the middle finger to those who have limited the word 'feminism' to Caucasian women, who from my perspective believe that women who embrace their bodies and agency in a different form, such as being empowered by hijab/niqab, are subservient to patriarchy. By participating in this show, my art shows viewers an inclusive insight into femininity, feminism and question their idea about what it means to be a woman. It would be selfish to think that feminism has done its job when white feminism is limiting to a specific class and race while inclusive feminism makes sure that all women work together and does not brand one or the other as inferior.
What does having your art uncensored and uninterrupted mean to you?
A tool to reclaim my Muslim identity and my sexuality in association with my faith and Canadian identity.
Why do you think art for and by Muslim women still has the power to provoke shock?
For too long, Muslim women’s struggle in art has been depicted by others who are non-Muslim. It’s important to pass the mic so that our narrative is not misconstrued for an agenda we haven’t voluntarily signed to be a part of. Muslim women’s art shouldn’t be watered down to fit the palate of a few esteemed individuals. Our art is raw and fierce. Hence why Girls, Uninterrupted is important because it explores the female story from more than one tangent.
Kat Miller, photographer
What are the main themes in your art?
I’m very interested in the juxtaposition between stepping into adulthood while remaining youthful and childlike. My photos attempt to capture the tension young women feel from their inability to sexualise their body without remaining childish and their nostalgia for their idealistic fantasy of a more perfect, virtuous world.
Tell me a bit about your piece on show...
For a couple of years, I was photographing my three best friends while they were in their last year of secondary school. I was struggling with the idea of becoming a woman when I still wanted to bathe [in] the girlhood I had created. When we all moved away from each other, I began photographing acquaintances. It was time to introduce new perspectives of womanhood into my work. I met with the beautiful Zahara on an early summer morning. Before this particular photo was taken, we had been talking and becoming more comfortable around each other. I had her lay on the grass to display her curves in an unconventional way. This was the photograph that felt like a new direction in my work. I am only in the beginning of navigating this transition.
How much does your gender feed into the work you do?
My art tends to be a personal navigation of what being a woman means to me. I am certainly in the transition between girlhood and womanhood and it often feels confusing. I want to be a woman but more than ever am realising how magical being a young girl was. My work often allows me to create a space where I have both of those things.
What does having your art uncensored mean to you?
How free I am to be a woman who is photographing other women without male restrictions. It creates more vulnerability for both myself as the creator and for the person who is willing and wanting to be photographed.
Why do you think art for and by women still has the power to provoke shock?
I think people can be shocked to see artists making work about women that isn’t for the purpose of the male gaze. Women are so often manipulated for consumers, to sell a product or appeal to specific ideals. Women making art about the taboos of womanhood are only shocking to those who refuse to accept these 'taboos' as normal and beautiful.
Why do you think there’s a need for all-female art shows?
They’re so powerful and needed after centuries of male-driven art scenes. However, having a strong collaboration between all genders in the art world is equally as important.
Do you think now is an exciting time for women in the art world?
Absolutely. Now more than ever, women are beginning to feel more comfortable to stand up for themselves and many female artists are taking powerful and effective stances through their art.
Panteha Abareshi, illustrator
What are the main themes in your art?
Pain, more specifically mental pain in juxtaposing comparison with physical pain. There’s also very strong romantic and sexual themes in my artwork, relating to my rejection of the pressured 'norms' of romantic behaviour and my identity with a romanticism and how that relates to my depression.
Tell me a bit about your pieces on show...
I have three. The first, "I Can’t Tell You How It Feels", depicts a woman who has pulled out her own tooth...to depict just how crushingly painful and crippling depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses are and can be. The next piece, "It’s Excruciating", depicts a woman bathed with seven snakes wrapped around her. The snake as a biblical symbol for sin, temptation and the first sin in the world committed by a woman has always been something I’ve loved and wanted to [insert] in my work. It also calls back to my Iranian heritage and the mythological Shahmaran who is half woman, half snake. I’m also influenced by my love of Greek mythology and my idolisation of Medusa as a god, rather than a villain. In " Ouch, Baby", the snakes are representative of the simultaneous coexistence between sin, suffering, pain and beauty.
How much does your gender and sexuality feed into the work you do?
It feeds extremely into my work. Identity is something I personally believe is nearly impossible to prevent from bleeding into one’s work, even if subconsciously. The lack of a sex drive, the objection to human contact...to be open about my lack of interest in the hyper-romanticised and pressurised culture of sex that exists is uncomfortable for those around me. Because I’m also still discovering things about my romantic and sexual identity, the way it comes through in my work is very different each time.
Why did you decide to take part in the exhibition?
To be showing among other female artists is an elating and giddy feeling. As a female artist, it constantly feels like you are fighting for a space. Elbowing, scratching and clawing to keep and maintain a space and a voice. So this show feels like anyone walking in will be stepping into this safe haven where there is nothing hindering or stifling the female voice.
Why do you think it’s important for women’s art to be uncensored?
No art should be censored, regardless of the gender of the creator. It’s more important that female-created art be uncensored because to censor is to silence and to stifle. To censor is to the same effect as putting your hand over the mouth of someone attempting to speak. I’m tired of hearing male voices in the art world. To me, censoring female art is censoring the female body.
What does having your art uncensored mean to you?
It’s a fundamental right every artist has and one that I feel lucky to be able to enjoy knowing that 40 years ago, my same work would not be able to exist in the way it does today.
Do you think there’s a need for an all-female exhibition like Girls, Uninterrupted?
It will never not be important to have all-female art shows. To fully execute the female vision, from artwork to curation, is something that hasn’t been occurring until recently. It’s important to give women the space they deserve. There’s a change occurring in the art world that can’t be stopped. Girls, Uninterrupted is part of something much bigger and stronger that’s growing every day.
Do you think now is an exciting time for women in the art world?
It’s an extremely exciting time. We are breaking down walls! We are being seen because we have fought to the surface. We are being heard because we have been screaming for so long together. This is our time. The contemporary woman is stamping out the aged notions of the art world. It’s difficult and it will take time but we are doing it. Regardless of that, as a female artist, it’s also so exciting seeing other female artists striving. This is the time for collaboration and solidarity. It makes you realise it’s no longer the short straw to be a woman in the art world. It’s the place to be, baby. We’re doing it.
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