Liberties Cornwall
An exhibition of contemporary art reflecting on 40 years since the Sex Discrimination Act
THE EXCHANGE, PENZANCE, CORNWALL TR18 2NL
21 OCTOBER 2016 – 7 JANUARY 2017
Guler Ates, Helen Barff, Sutapa Biswas, Sonia Boyce, Jemima Burrill, Helen Chadwick, Sarah Duffy, Rose English, Rose Finn-Kelcey, Alison Gill, Helena Goldwater, Joy Gregory, Margaret Harrison, Alexis Hunter, Frances Kearney, EJ Major, Eleanor Moreton, Hayley Newman, Freddie Robins, Monica Ross, Jo Spence, Jessica Voorsanger, Alice May Williams and Carey Young.
Works by 24 artists reflect the changes in art practice within the context of sexual and gender equality since the introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act (1975) in the UK. Some artists confront issues that galvanised the change in law whilst others carved their own place in a complex and male dominated art world. From the radical movements of the 1960s and 70s, the politics of the 80s, the boom of lad culture in the 1990s to the current fourth wave of feminism, encouraged largely through and because of social media, all of the artists’ question equality and identity in very different ways.
The exhibition presents a snapshot of the evolving conversations that continue to contribute to the mapping of a woman’s place in British society. Body, femininity, sex, motherhood, economic and political status are explored through film, photography, sculpture, performance and painting.
This exhibition was first presented in London at Collyer Bristow Gallery in 2015. Changes to the works on show include Margaret Harrison’s The Last Gaze, recently purchased by mima for their permanent collection and kindly loaned to us for this exhibition.
We are extremely grateful to the to the Monica Ross Archive for their support and to Richard Saltoun Gallery who have loaned us significant works by Helen Chadwick, Rose English, Rose Finn-Kelcey, Alexis Hunter and Jo Spence for both the London and Cornwall exhibitions.
Continuing thanks go to all of the artists who have kindly loaned works and given their time in support of the exhibition.
Essay ‘Now, Then, and Again: Between Anniversary and HERitage by Dr. Alexandra M Kokoli (Middlesex University), commissioned for the first iteration of the exhibition by Day+Gluckman.
Review by Martin Holman for Art Monthly December 2016
