Colonial settlers made myriad objects with problematic portrayals of First Nations people. Now, a number of artists are using these objects in their work to retell these stories.
We had no government funding, no governing structure and no workshop. Yet we produced a huge range of political posters, many of which are now in national collections and have been exhibited often.
Neel’s attention to the sensuous human subject, irrespective but mindful of race, gender, status and sexuality, was rare and undervalued, yet now seems prophetic.
Family members seeking to control women artists isn’t new. In the 1920s, doctors thought sculptor Camille Claudel could be released from the care of an asylum, but her family refused.
Known for her soft capturing of tonal shifts and poignant moments, painter Clarice Beckett’s legacy was almost lost to time and decay. Now her work is being celebrated in a major exhibition.
The first female student at the famous Makerere University art school, Karuga only began an art career when she retired at 60. She ended up showing internationally.
50 years ago Art News published Linda Nochlin’s essay, Why have there been no great women artists? It would change how we see art and its institutions, and still reverberates today.
At a time when surrealists were objectifying women’s bodies, American artist Dorothea Tanning was looking deeper at the transformative potential of female experience and the unconscious.
Honorary (Senior Fellow) School of Culture and Communication University of Melbourne. Editor in Chief, Design and Art of Australia Online, The University of Melbourne