Press Release – Uprising 

In 1999, Time magazine named Emmeline Pankhurst as one of the top 100 people of the 20th century, stating “she shaped an idea of objects for our time” and ‘shook society into a new pattern from which there could be no going back’. To celebrate both her birthday, (15th July 1858 ) and commemorate in 2018, the bronze statue, Rise Up, Women, being erected in her honour, Uprising is a tribute to the important work the Suffragettes began on the road to equality for women and a massive nod to the inequality within the art world towards women  artists.

 

While there are signs of positive change in the art market for women artists, there still exists enormous room for improvement. The art world’s historical affinity for white male artists very much persists. Women have never been treated equally in the art world and still remain undervalued and underrepresented in galleries, museums and auction houses. Presenting stats and data has not solved the problem but does help with understanding the scope of it.

 

In the UK, around 70% of undergraduates and 75% of postgraduates in Art  & Design are women, while 70% of artists represented at top London galleries are men. Continuing research indicates strong evidence for discrimination towards women artists, why so? Susan Fisher Sterling, Director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts explains that while it might appear women are heading in the right direction, the perception has changed more than the reality but very little has changed at all. She states, “People in the art world want to think we are achieving parity more quickly than we are”.

 

In the never ending saga surrounding inequality, Uprising is an exhibition celebrating women artists and marking the birth month of Emmeline Pankhurst. Her relentless bravery and commitment to the rights of women, continues to inspire the good fight. Nasty Gallery is (for now) an itinerant female led initiative and off shoot of Nasty Women London. Their aim is to establish a space for exhibitions, performance, spoken word and debate for women in the arts.

 

 

 

Contact Boa Swindler 07531 342128

www.nastygallery.co.uk

http//www.facebook.com/nastywomenlondon      

@nastygal-lery nastygallery@hotmail.com