Art / royal west of england academy
Found Cities, Lost Objects: Women in the City opening at RWA
The Royal West of England Academy (RWA) is opening its summer exhibition Found Cities, Lost Objects: Women in the City on May 20, where it will remain in situ for three months.
Curated by Turner Prize-winning artist and cultural activist Lubaina Himid CBE, the diverse collection includes over 60 works, from painting and sculpture, to photography and film.
The featured artists include Cornelia Parker, Magda Stawarska-Beavn, Young In Hong, Markéta Luskačová and Sophie Calle.
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Mellony Taper, Renamed City – photo: courtesy of the artist
Huma Mulji, An Unquiet Grave – photo: Ben Jones
While it is at the RWA, the exhibition will also showcase a number of invited contributions from Bristol women artists, including Valda Jackson, Mellony Taper, Veronica Vickery, Huma Mulji, and Beth Carter.
It ties in neatly with the year-long Bristol 650 celebrations in 2023; the RWA (itself with two female directors) is honouring the role that women have played – and continue to play – in building up the arts in the city.
Across the collection, Himid’s choice of work puts the female gaze at its core, reframing our understanding of cities through a complex range of ideas: safety and fun; freedom and discovery; power, hierarchy and belonging.
Beth Carter – Stealing the Unicorn – photo: courtesy of the artist
Veronica Vickery – Hollowed Out – photo: Dan Weill
“From billboards and advertising posters to public statues and monuments, cities today are saturated with idealised images of women,” note the Arts Council Collection, whose support has helped to facilitate the exhibition.
“Together, these depictions communicate subconscious messages about how women are valued, whether they are welcome, and how safe they might feel.
“In Found Cities, Lost Objects, Himid brings together a group of works that address these themes, questioning our understanding of the urban environment and encouraging a rediscovery and reclaiming of our cities.”
Huma Mulji, An Unquiet Grave – photo: courtesy of the artist
https://www.instagram.com/p/CpbsLG0oGXP/
The programme of ancillary events to support the exhibition includes Women in the City, a weekend workshop led by Bristol painter Catherine Knight.
Working initially from the clothed model and concentrating on colour, pattern and form, the weekend will conclude with a day drawing on local architecture, and finding ways in which to blend the two stimuli.
Participants will have the opportunity to draw, paint and collage, with all materials provided.
Found Cities, Lost Objects: Women in the City is the RWA on May 20-August 13 at 10am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday; closed Monday (except for Bank Holidays).
The two day workshop Women in the City is on June 24 at 10.30am-4.30pm, and June 25 at 10.30am-3.30pm (tickets purchasable in advance).
For more information about all upcoming exhibitions, events, talks and workshops at RWA, go to www.rwa.org.uk.
Main photo: Dan Weill (Veronica Vickery)
Read more: RWA marks season of photography with four concurrent exhibitions
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