WOMEN IN REVOLT!

Today I visited a unique exhibition WOMEN IN REVOLT!, the first large-scale exploration of women artists in the UK, which not only showcased their contribution to the women's liberation movement in the 1970s and 1980s, but also highlighted how these artists used their own life experiences to rebel against injustice through forms of painting, photography, film, and performing arts.

In the 1970s and 1980s, a new wave of feminism swept across the UK, with female artists using their own life experiences to create art that gave voice to social issues such as reproductive rights, equal pay and racial equality. These creative expressions were not only a catalyst for social change, but also contributed to the opening of the first women's refuges in the UK and the formation of the Black Arts Movement in Britain, for example. Although these women artists have had long careers in the art world, their work and contributions have long been excluded from mainstream art narratives.

In my undergraduate work I have also sought to explore the role and image of women in society, particularly the diversity and complexity of women's portrayal in modern society. This exhibition made me realise that female artists intervene in social issues through art, demonstrating the power of art as a tool for social change. Whilst the exhibition demonstrates the profound impact that female artists have had on society and culture, it also sheds light on the persistent problem of gender bias in the art world. These artists have been marginalised for many years and their works and contributions have been forgotten, showing the unfair treatment of female artists in the art world. This phenomenon triggered me to think about whether similar problems still exist in the current art world.