Four Corners of the World

This exhibition brings together the work of four professional female artists currently living and working in Cambridge – Gurpran Rau (born in the Indian Himalayas), Sandra Scott (born in Barbados), Lyudmila Sikhosana (born in eastern Ukraine) and Wei Yuan (born in Hunan province, China). Over the course of their lived experiences and heritage, they represent some 10 countries from east to west, north to south, and are, in many ways, characteristic of the diverse peoples and cultures that collide in Cambridge. The exhibition explores their difference and similarities – as artists, as women, as ‘foreigners’ and  as ‘locals’, in a diverse and complex tapestry of interwoven identities.

 

At ArtSpace5-7 we seek to promote and elevate the place of female artists. We do this both literally and metaphorically, symbolically and practically. This exhibition is direct demonstration of this mission. 

 

In a conscious break from conventional curating, in this show, we ‘skied’ a number of artworks to make our point. Historically, in most established galleries and museums, female artists were not only under-represented in terms of numbers, they were rarely hung  ‘on the line’ -  the ideal place for an artwork to be seen. If female artists were included in the line-up at all, they were likely to be ‘floored’ – hung low where they can’t be seen in a crowded room full of people, or ‘skied’ – hung so high the work can only be experienced at an angle, thereby distorting it and audience’s perception of quality. In this exhibition, we have intentionally skied, and floored, some works. We want to encourage audiences to look up and down – to actively search for artworks, discover them around corners, and to consciously consider how location impacts perception: how artworks, as well as people, are transformed by context. 

 

If we conducted a purely academic research exercise and counted the number of women included in any group exhibition, we might concluded that they became increasingly better represented through the 20th and 21st centuries,  as the simple numbers go up. But such an academic study masks the reality that women continued to be disadvantaged not just in terms of total numbers of exhibitions and works exhibited, but in terms of the location of their work – which is much more difficult to captute since it relies on known not just when the exhibition happened, and who was in it -b ut the details of how it was hung – information much more rarely available in the historical archives.  

 

However, the way in which female artists are positioned or ‘framed’ impacts perspectives and also opportunities and is a core theme of this exhibition. Our highly unconventional hang, which has made our audiences laugh, gasp, and even grumble, in surprise and incredulity, enables the public to experience the thrill of discovering art in unexpected places. It also makes this exhibition more inclusive enabling a range of people to experience the works at your own level – including children and those in wheelchairs. It discards the assumption we are all the same height and see work from the same place or perspective. This is a far cry from the standard white cube ‘on the line’ hang still prevalent in both commercial and public galleries. 

 

As professionally trained, career artists practicing their craft, but also as ‘wife’, ‘mother’, ‘daughter’ and much more, female artists must navigate competing demands for space and time. There is often no room to make large scale works when studio space competes with room for children’s toys, storage, the barbeque, the garden furniture and so much more. The schedules of the children and the partners often take precedence.

 

Just as one example the brilliant Lee Krasner, abstract painter married to renowned American artist Jackson Pollock, was known for too long as simply ‘Mrs, Pollock.’ Not only was she an accomplished painter and innovator in her own right but also professional confidante, advocate, and manager of Pollock’s estate after his death, ensuring that his work and contribution were not forgotten but written into the history books, something she herself had to wait for until much later. Lee Krasner, earlier and smaller domestic-sized work reflects her working environment and real-life situation. It was only after the death of Jackson Pollock, and the opportunity to use his much larger studio, that Krasner began to create larger-scale monumental  sized work which pushed her expressive experiments to new dimensions and herladed a period of intense creativity and innovation.  

 

Professional artists, and the creation of art itself requires, space, tools and time. Female artists are lucky if they can carve out a dedicated corner for their professional practice. In a city where space is at a premium life Cambridge, the challenge is compounded. Living with the reality of a day which is fragmented by family duties, childcare and domestic-demands, social expectations and care responsibilities, it’s a small miracle the female artists exist at all. An important consequence of this exhibition – as well as our mission, is enabling the artists to carve out both space and time for their work. Unlike many professionals artists who rarely have the luxury of day-job or escaping into ‘the office,’ we can offer the luxury of dedicated workspace for therse artists. 

 

Although ArtSpace does not provide artists with studios - which by definition are often  exclusively used and private spaces - we do provide a physical and generous space for the artists to come and draw, paint in a quiet and not distracted environment, reflect on their work and practice. Throughout the exhibition LyudmilaSikhosana, came to paint on Thursday and Saturdays, protected from the hustle and bustle of busy life with five children. Wei Yuan came to Portugal place to fill her artist’s notebooks with contemplations and ideas for further projects and exhibitions. As well as a place for meeting new and interesting people, the exhibition and its welcoming format, the space acts as a sanctuary and a place for reflection and contemplation -- as well as a place for meeting new and interesting people having those special and enlightening conversation which lead to new ideas and projects.

 

Many of the works in this exhibition might be described as ‘domestic size’ but the energy and emotion packed into these jewel-like pieces is unquestionable. One  visitor questioned whether work of a smaller scale would be held at a similarly high regard  as larger sized works. An interesting question. Again, the opportunities for women and men here is telling. However, I would argue that in this case, size doesn’t matter. The Mona Lisa is only 30 by 20 inches. 

 

No woman is an island and in our case a big thank you goes to family and friends who have helped behind the scenes - framing, packing, transport and much more - we are grateful for your support. 

 

The work in this exhibition reflects life, our pain and dreams. It originates from four corners of the world and showcases a range of styles, mediums and approaches but highlights some universal truths that we share and which unite us all.