Feminist curator Marcelle Joseph said she “wanted to literally cripple the male gaze” with the newest exhibition at art gallery Lychee One in London Fields.
In ‘Monster/Beauty: An Exploration of the Female/Femme Gaze,’ the female-identifying and queer femme artists are the artistic agents: they depict the feminine body for themselves and for womxn consumers, said the curator. The exhibition includes the work of 19 womxn artists.
Joseph said: “In the current political landscape that threatens to take away rights that women and queer people for decades have fought for, this exhibition could not be more timely.”
The exhibition will run until the end of October, which is Black History Month in the UK. The art celebrates and represents white, Black, Latinx, Asian and indigenous female-identifying, queer, femme, trans-feminine and non-binary artists. This reflects the diversity in London Fields, where 43% of the residents are from ethnic minority backgrounds, according to Hackney Council.
Joseph added: “With the advent of the recent #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, certain marginalised communities have gained some justice and respect as well as recognition of their talents and achievements. This exhibition continues in that vein.”
